A day after Jawaharlal the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) suspended its academic cooperation with Turkey’s Inonu University, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), on Thursday, announced suspension of its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the institutions affiliated with the the Republic of Türkiye.

The university stated in a post on X. “Due to national security considerations, any Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and any institution affiliated with the Government of the Republic of Türkiye stands suspended with immediate effect, until further orders. Jamia Millia Islamia stands firmly with the Nation.”

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Earlier, JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit said the decision to suspend the university’s academic cooperation with Turkey’s Inonu University has been taken as there can’t be any relationship with the country that backstabs India and supports terrorism.

The VC confirmed that the MoU, which mandates a six-month notice for termination, has been formally withdrawn at JNU’s end. “We have broken our MoU with Inonu University and a notice has been issued,” she said.

“We have 98 MoUs with different countries. JNU teaches the Turkish language. The administration thought that we shouldn’t have any relation with the country that supports terror and stabs India in the back. This is why I thought that it was important for us to stand with the Indian armed forces,” the VC stated.

On the JNU’s contribution to armed forces, she said the present chiefs of the Tri-service are the alumni of the university. “Every civilian is responsible for national security and since the education at JNU is totally subsidized by the Indian taxpayer’s money, our loyalty to the state is greater. We salute our armed forces and the JNU always stands for the nation and our armed forces,” she told a news agency.

The academic partnership, signed on February 3 for a three-year term, is aimed at fostering cross-cultural research and student exchange. However, in a statement posted Wednesday on X, JNU said: “Due to National Security considerations, the MoU between JNU and Inonu University, Turkiye stands suspended until further notice. JNU stands with the Nation.”

Inonu University, located in Malatya, entered the agreement as part of broader efforts to strengthen international academic collaboration. The two JNU schools involved in the MoU are School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies and School of Computer and Systems Sciences.