Several leading Indian educational institutions including IIM Kozhikode, JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia, Lovely Professional University (LPU), and IIT Roorkee have recently withdrawn from academic partnerships with Turkish universities, citing national interest.
IIM Kozhikode, for instance, terminated its MoU with Turkey’s Sabancı University just months after signing a five-year agreement in September 2023. The institute has also formally requested the Turkish university to remove its name from all websites, platforms, and official records.
“At IIM Kozhikode, we place utmost importance on aligning our global engagements with the national interest,” said Prof Debashis Chatterjee, Director, IIM Kozhikode.
LPU has also terminated all MoUs with institutions in Türkiye and Azerbaijan. The university has formally ended six academic partnerships with institutions in Turkiye and Azerbaijan, citing recent geopolitical developments that it deems contrary to India’s national interest.
This decision includes the immediate termination of student and faculty exchange programmes, joint research projects, dual degree initiatives, and all other forms of academic collaboration with institutions from the two countries. The move comes in response to the pro-Pakistan stance of Türkiye and Azerbaijan during a recent period of heightened Indo-Pak tensions.
“When our brave armed forces are risking their lives—whether in covert operations, air defence, or patrolling our borders—we, as an institution, cannot remain indifferent,” said Dr Ashok Kumar Mittal, MP and Founder Chancellor of LPU.