New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), aligning itself with national interests, has officially terminated its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Inonu University of Turkey. Announcing the decision on X, the central university stated the cancellation was carried out “due to national security considerations”. The varsity reinforced its stance with a firm declaration – “JNU stands with the nation”.
The MoU was signed on February 3, 2025. It was originally intended to remain in effect until February 2, 2028 – a three-year academic partnership now cut short.
Due to National Security considerations, the MoU between JNU and Inonu University, Türkiye stands suspended until further notice.
JNU stands with the Nation.
— Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) (@JNU_official_50)
The cancellation comes in the wake of rising diplomatic tensions between India and Turkey. The Indian government recently blocked X account of Turkey’s state-run news outlet, TRT World, accusing it of disseminating propaganda and misinformation hostile to India. This move has paralleled a surge in public sentiment advocating for the boycott of Turkish goods and services.
Fueling the friction is Turkey’s vocal support for Pakistan following India’s launch of ‘Operation Sindoor’, a military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Turkey’s stance has not gone unnoticed. Indian travel behaviour is rapidly shifting, with prominent online booking services such as MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip reporting a significant uptick in trip cancellations to Turkey and Azerbaijan – both of which took a critical tone during ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Although MakeMyTrip continues to list flight options to Turkey and Azerbaijan on its website, the company issued a statement expressing solidarity with India’s armed forces. “We stand in solidarity with our nation and out of deep respect for our armed forces, we strongly support this sentiment and advise against all non-essential travel to Azerbaijan and Turkey,” the statement read.
The platform further confirmed it has halted all promotional campaigns related to travel to these destinations, signaling a broader national sentiment that is rapidly evolving into economic and academic disengagement.
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