10-07-2025
With Threat From 'Third Enemy' 4,500 Km Away, India Offers BrahMos, Akash To Greece & Cyprus
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Turkish news outlet TRHaber recently revealed that India made an informal offer to supply a Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LR-LACM) to Greece
While India's adversarial ties with Pakistan and China are well known, a third player has been quietly amplifying its hostility from behind the scenes, i.e. Turkey. Long perceived as a peripheral irritant, Turkey has increasingly emerged as a vocal opponent of Indian interests, most notably during military and diplomatic standoffs in recent years. Now, India appears to be recalibrating its strategy to directly counter Turkey's influence, particularly in the sensitive and conflict-ridden Mediterranean region.
During Operation Sindoor, India's counter-terror attack against Pakistan, Turkey reportedly played a critical behind-the-scenes role in aiding Pakistan. Not only did it extend political support, but according to Indian intelligence assessments, Turkey went as far as supplying advanced military hardware to Pakistan, surpassing even China in its tactical backing.
This covert hostility has not gone unnoticed. Turkish media outlets have recently expressed growing concern over India's pivot toward Turkey's regional rivals, interpreting it as deliberate payback.
India is now actively pursuing defence partnerships with nations that have longstanding hostilities with Turkey, namely Greece, Cyprus, and Armenia.
Turkish news outlet TRHaber recently revealed that India made an informal offer to supply a Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LR-LACM) to Greece. The missile, developed indigenously by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), reportedly has a range of 1,000-1,500 km and is engineered to evade Turkey's S-400 missile defense system. It was showcased at a defence exhibition in Athens in May 2025, where it garnered significant attention from Greek defence planners.
Military analysts believe the LR-LACM could offer Athens a critical edge in its long-standing territorial disputes with Turkey in the Aegean Sea. Turkish airbases in Izmir and Canakkale could fall within the missile's strike radius, a fact that has reportedly triggered alarm in Ankara's defence circles.
Cyprus, too, is increasingly turning to India. According to regional reports, India has offered Nicosia the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, a formidable naval weapon jointly developed with Russia. The move is seen as a direct challenge to Turkey's ambitious Blue Homeland doctrine, under which it seeks to project maritime dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean.
By arming Cyprus, India not only positions itself as a significant Indo-Pacific-to-Mediterranean defence player, but also signals a willingness to enter zones that have, until now, been dominated by Western or regional powers alone.
Beyond the Mediterranean, India is also deepening its defence engagement with Armenia, a country locked in a volatile rivalry with Turkey-backed Azerbaijan. Reports suggest India is in advanced talks to supply Akash surface-to-air missile systems, along with other critical defence platforms.
India's cooperation with Yerevan, including previous deliveries of weaponry in 2023 and 2024, reflects its broader strategy of counterbalancing Turkish expansionism, not just diplomatically, but on the battlefield if required.
India's outreach to Turkey's adversaries is more than symbolic. Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh's recent visit to Greece underscores the seriousness of this evolving partnership. The two air forces reportedly discussed joint exercises and interoperability, a clear signal that the defence ties are becoming institutionalised.
Moreover, India is subtly leveraging Turkey's uneasy standing within NATO. Turkey's controversial acquisition of Russian-made S-400 missiles has already caused rifts with Western allies. India, experts say, is tactically using this friction to erode Turkey's diplomatic leverage further.
The shift in India-Turkey relations is especially stark given their history. When a devastating earthquake struck Turkey, India was the first nation to send humanitarian aid and disaster relief teams. But despite that goodwill, Turkey's political alignment with anti-India forces has transformed it into what many in Indian defence circles now call the 'third enemy".
From rhetoric in multilateral forums to defense support for Pakistan, Turkey's trajectory has forced India's hand. As a result, India's counterstrategy, built on robust arms diplomacy and strategic alliances, is now unfolding in full view of the world.
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