The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi announced on Wednesday that it had suspended a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Inonu University in Turkiye due to national security considerations.
The MoU was inked on February 3 for a period of three years.
“Due to National Security considerations, the MoU between JNU and Inonu University, Türkiye stands suspended until further notice. JNU stands with the Nation,” the premier institution said in a post on X.
Also read
- Operation Sindoor: Why was the Pakistan Navy missing from action? Admiral Tripathi says India’s carrier battle group...
- 'Operation Sindoor proved Pakistan’s nukes and rich bankers won’t deter India from military action'
- BSF’s role in Operation Sindoor: Amit Shah reminds how jawans gave Pak forces a befitting reply when border fighting erupted
Though the details of the MoU are not immediately known, a senior official of the University told PTI that there were plans for faculty exchange and student exchange programmes under the pact
"It is like all the other academic MoUs that JNU has signed for mutual cooperation in research and teaching. JNU has suspended the MoU due to national security considerations as JNU stands with the Nation and the Armed Forces, many of whom are JNU alumni," said JNU Vice Chancellor Prof. Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit.
JNU has 79 active academic MoUs with various international universities for a period ranging from 3 to 5 years, which are automatically renewed unless terminated.
The MOUs have been signed with universities in countries like Japan, Korea, Spain, Australia, the US, France, Germany, Iran, England, Austria, Taiwan, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan,Russia, Uzbekistan, Hungary, Rwanda, Switzerland, Palestine, Burkina Faso, Mongolia, Indonesia, Poland, the UK, Chile and Argentina.
JNU's move comes amid a rising public sentiment against Turkiye and Azerbaijan over their support to Pakistan after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ against the terrorist hubs.
Calls for boycotting Turkish goods and tourism have surfaced across the country, with online travel platforms such as EaseMyTrip, MakeMyTrip and Ixigo issuing advisories against visiting these nations.
Following the Operation Sindoor, Pakistan attempted intrusions at 36 locations in India on May 8 with 300 to 400 drones. Indian forces brought down several of these drones using both kinetic and non-kinetic means.
Preliminary forensic analysis of the debris suggests that some of the drones were Turkish-made, including the 'Asisguard Songar' model and Turkish-origin UAVs named 'Yiha' or 'YEEHAW'.
In wake of Ankara’s continued support to Pakistan, India's trade relation with Turkiye is also expected to come under strain.
With inputs from Prathima Nandakumar