Türkiye has announced its intention to join the BRICS group of nations and will raise the issue at an upcoming meeting of the economic bloc’s foreign ministers in Russia. This move comes as Turkey continues to face opposition from some European Union members regarding its membership bid, prompting Ankara to consider the BRICS alliance as an alternative platform for integration.
Turkey’s Chief Diplomat Hakan Fidan stated that Türkiye has long been waiting to become a member of the European Union but has faced obstacles from some EU members. As a result, Turkey is now looking into joining the BRICS group, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Fidan explained that while the BRICS alliance still has “a long way to go,” Ankara sees the potential in this organization as an alternative platform for integration. He highlighted that Turkey cannot ignore the fact that BRICS offers some countries a good alternative for cooperation.
The upcoming meeting of the BRICS foreign ministers will take place next week in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. This event is set to include representatives from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Russia has welcomed Turkey’s interest in joining BRICS. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the topic of Turkey’s membership in the group will be featured on the agenda of next week’s summit, which this year is being chaired by Russia.
Peskov acknowledged that the economic bloc may not be able to fully satisfy the interests of all the numerous countries expressing a desire to join BRICS. However, he emphasized that “such an active interest” is welcomed and that the group will do everything within its power to maintain contact with all interested nations.
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also noted that the doors of BRICS are open to representatives of the most diverse economic and political systems and macro-regions. He emphasized that the only condition for joining the group is a commitment to work on the basis of the key principle of the sovereign equality of states – something Russia’s Western colleagues appear to be struggling with.