MEDIA: Turkey applies for BRICS membership, may join in October

Turkey has officially started the procedure of joining the BRICS group of countries by submitting a request for accession.

This was reported by Bloomberg.

According to knowledgeable interlocutors, Ankara has officially applied to join the BRICS group (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa), seeking to develop and strengthen ties with countries outside the political West, although this has not yet been publicly announced.

This is due to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's belief that the balance of power in the world is changing, and he wants to have well-developed contacts with all parties to the “multipolar world” without abandoning his obligations as a NATO member.

The application for accession was allegedly submitted several months ago amid “disappointment” with the prospects for rapprochement with the EU, as well as disputes with NATO countries over Ankara's continued cooperation with Russia, despite its full-scale war against Ukraine.

Ankara believes that membership could improve economic cooperation with Russia and China and make it a trade hub on the border of Asia and Europe, including a “gas hub” for gas exports from Russia and Central Asia.

“Turkey can become a strong, prosperous, prestigious and effective country if it simultaneously improves relations with both the East and the West... All other options will not be in Turkey's favor,” Erdogan said this weekend.

Author - Olena Madiak, 02/09/2024