Turkey’s support for Pakistan in the four-day India-Pakistan military conflict has sparked a boycott of Turkey in India. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which represents more than 125 trade leaders, called for a trade boycott, and Turkish brands from many sectors, including apparel, have become targets. Two leading online shopping websites in India, Myntra and Ajio, have removed Turkish branded products from sale.
Sales of Trendyol branded products continue in Ajio
On the websites of Myntra and Ajio, the two leading online shopping platforms in India, it is seen that Turkish branded products are excluded from the list.
While LCW, Koton, Mavi and Trendyol branded products are not listed on the website of Myntra owned by Flipkart; on Ajio, owned by Reliance, only Trendyol branded products, whose majority shares belong to China-based Alibaba Group, are on sale and in stock. The only product that appears to belong to Mavi on Ajio is also listed as out of stock.
Reliance closes its office in Turkey
According to a report in India Today, a Reliance spokesperson said that the company is reviewing the product list to ensure it matches “the values and sentiments of the country”. In the same report, Reliance confirmed that it is closing its office in Turkey and will remove all Turkish brands from Ajio. Accordingly, the company also announced that an earlier partnership with Turkish textile company Kıvanç Tekstil had ended long before the current issue, saying, “They are now just one of many global suppliers. There is no special treatment anymore,” he said.
Low trade intensity may reduce the impact of the boycott
Due to the low volume of bilateral trade relations, the impact of the boycott between the two countries on the Turkish economy is expected to be limited.
The boycott imposed by India, the world’s most populous country, is also expected to have a low impact on tourism, considering the number of tourists coming from the country.
According to TURKSTAT data, India and Turkey do not have a large share in each other’s trade.
Of the more than 52 million foreign tourists who came to Turkey in 2024, only 330,000 came from India.
According to the data on the Trading Economics website, India’s apparel imports from Turkey amounted to 81.53 million dollars in 2024. According to the United Nations COMTRADE international trade database, India’s overall imports from Turkey amounted to USD 2.62 billion in the same year.
According to Trademap data, Turkey ranked 34th in Indian imports in 2023 and had a share of 0.6% with 4 billion dollars.