Turkey is seeking to bolster its global influence by requesting to join the BRICS group of emerging economies, according to sources cited by Bloomberg on Monday. Ankara aims to forge new ties beyond its traditional Western allies, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believing that “the geopolitical center of gravity is shifting away from developed economies.
The Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, stated in early June that BRICS serves as a good alternative to the EU. He confirmed that dialogue between Ankara and BRICS nations was ongoing, amid growing frustration over stalled efforts to join the EU. Turkey has been a member of NATO for some time, but its accession talks for EU membership have faced several obstacles since they began in 2005.
Turkey submitted an application to join BRICS some months ago due to a lack of progress in its decades-old bid to join the EU. In response to increasing sanctions on Russia following the start of the war in Ukraine, the BRICS bloc has begun seriously pursuing the creation of a common currency to de-dollarize trade and circumvent western sanctions.
Initially composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the BRICS group expanded for the first time since 2010 in January, adding Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the UAE to its membership. Palestine’s ambassador in Moscow has also announced plans to apply for BRICS membership.
Fidan highlighted the benefits of BRICS compared to the EU, stating that it includes all civilizations and races, and could provide significant advantages if it becomes more institutionalized. He confirmed Turkey’s interest in applying for an upgraded dialogue partnership with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN.
President Erdogan has also expressed interest in joining China’s Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO), attending the SCO summit in Kazakhstan earlier this year. He emphasized the importance of maintaining strong relations with both Eastern and Western organizations for Turkey’s prosperity and prestige.
