Creating Synergy for the Global South; Türkiye’s and India’s Potential for Collaboration, and FPI/DPE’s partnership with The Global South Center of Excellence, DAKSHIN – RIS

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Oğuz Diriöz, DPE,   March 22, 2025

On Thursday March 20^th, 2025, the President of the Foreign Policy Institute – FPI (Dış Politika Enstitüsü – DPE), (R.) Ambassador Hüseyin Diriöz, accompanied by FPI/DPE Coordinator and Board members made a courtesy visit to the Embassy of India in Ankara and met with His Excellency Shri Muktesh K. Pardeshi, Ambassador of India in Ankara. The occasion was also used to announce the recent partnership between FPI/DPE and The Global South Center of Excellence – DAKSHIN.

Hosted at Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), DAKSHIN – Global South Centre of Excellence, aims to identify development solutions for developing countries and scale them for implementation across the Global South. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced during the 1st Voice of Global South Summit held on 12-13th January 2023, that India would establish DAKSHIN – Global South Centre of Excellence. DAKSHIN was inaugurated during the 2nd Voice of Global South Summit held on 17th November 2023.

The letter of association mutually signed in the fall of 2024, between FPI/DPE and DAKSHIN – RIS, would be a small step for what could become the beginnings of creating synergy of potential Türkiye – India collaboration on the Global South.

Addressing the G20 Summit in Brazil, November 2024, Indian Prime Minister Modi stated the importance of “social inclusion and the fight against hunger and poverty.” Modi stated that countries of the Global south are most adversely impacted by the food, fuel and fertilizer crisis caused by global conflicts.[1] This is a concern that also echoes the sentiments and concerns frequently identified in the rhetoric of Turkish foreign policy towards the Global South.

Similar to the Turkish rhetoric often amplifying the need for UN Reform, Indian discourse also aims to have a leadership role in the development of emerging economies and the Global South. Good relations with both the Global North and especially the investors of Western Economies, as well as good relations with the developing nations allows India to be a bridge between the Global North and Global South.[2] Incidentally, Türkiye also plays a similar role; especially in Africa and Central Asia.

Although Türkiye is not a country of the Global South (as a member of NATO and OECD, and a candidate to the EU), still the strategic autonomy and Asia Anew policies as well as the Africa Opening policies, and participating in BRICS summits, are relevant for the Global South. Türkiye’s interest to develop economic partnerships in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and gradually with South Asia and Asia Pacific regions are overlapping interests with India.

Economically, there are also many opportunities to collaborate on connectivity projects, logistics, trade routes, supply chains, as well as on many technologies such as Information and Technology, aerospace, energy and agricultural technologies.

Not surprisingly, as the most populated country in the World, India produced many CEOs and leaders of international organizations and even heads of states and heads of governments in other counties. For example, Ajay Banga is an Indian origin US Citizen who is the President of the World Bank. Although the World Bank is an international Development Bank, reporting to the United Nations, Banga was CEO of Mastercard prior to leading the World Bank. The previous Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was Rishi Sunak. There are still many heads of states, heads of government or ministers in other countries, who are of Indian origin. There are over 20 Indian-origin CEOs of Billion-dollar Global Corporations, mostly tech-companies, including; Google – Alphabet, YouTube, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe, and Palo Alto Networks, to name a few.^[3] 

India’s rising soft power is partly because of being the world’s largest democracy^[4] and partly due to  having a vast network of Indian Diaspora in many corners of the World. Yet India’s influence isalso increasingly amplified through the influence of Indian origin leaders of multi-billion dollars ccompanies. Indian origin business leaders, as well as  current and former heads of states or heads of governments, ministers of Indian origin in many countries further increase the global soft power and influence of India. This of course culminates in significant influence and positive ties for India, and making it all the more important for Türkiye to develop gradually, especially economic relations and civil society relations (such as between research centers), with India.

India’s and Türkiye’s priorities sometimes overlap, and it is a shared interest for Türkiye and India to ensure continued uninterrupted global supply chains, mutual trade, and cooperation with the Global South. India and Türkiye share similar multidirectional approaches balancing East and West both economically and politically. The apparent current re-shuffling of the balance between the USA, Russia, EU and China, makes it all the more important for Türkiye to develop stable relations  in Asia. Thus, India – Türkiye bilateral relations need to also develop, especially on economic cooperation. At present, the current vacuum in global governance has not yet been filled by any single dominant global economic power.[5]

Hence, to ensure continued cooperation in times of uncertainty, it is essential for countries such as Türkiye and India to cooperate towards the Global South and thus create synergy. Such synergy would also be mutually beneficial in the long term for both Türkiye and India. As Deputy Foreign Minister, H.E. Ambassador Berris Ekinci pointed out, the importance of Türkiye – India relations; ‘Relationship between Türkiye, India is not just matter of historical interest, but one of future significance.’ Thus the relations   are not just of historical importance, and shared commonalities, but are also significant for finding new ways to cooperate in  the future.[6] This cooperation would be for the benefit of not only Türkiye and India, but for a much broader region.

It is with this spirit of enhancing future cooperation, that the Foreign Policy Institute FIP/DPE, and the Global South Center of Excellence – DAKSHIN, RIS partnership has been initiated. Small yet concrete forms of cooperation such as webinars, conferences and other research would hopefully be jointly initiated in the following years. 

[1] Anadoly Agency: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/india-s-modi-flags-priorities-of-global-south-at-g20-summit-in-brazil/3397098

[2] The Hindu: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/india-as-a-bridge-between-the-global-north-and-south/article69203944.ece

[3] Times of India: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/work/sundar-pichai-satya-nadella-ajay-banga-arvind-krishna-and-20-other-indian-origin-ceos-of-billion-dollar-companies/sundar-pichai/slideshow/105593531.cms

[4] The Brookings Institution: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/india-rising-soft-power-and-the-worlds-largest-democracy/

[5] Lowy Institute- The Interpreter: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/world-goes-regional-india-thinks-global-perhaps-its-detriment

[6] Anadolu Agency, Deputy Minister Berris Ekinci speaking at Turkiye – India Conference: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/international-conference-on-india-turkiye-ties-begins-in-ankara/3494507