Turkey has submitted a formal application to join the BRICS, Bloomberg reported, citing the sources. The administration of Recep Tayyip Erdogan believes that the “geopolitical gravity center” is moving away from developed countries, the agency's interlocutors explained the reason for this decision.
The country intends to develop relations with all sides of the multipolar world, while fulfilling the obligations of a NATO member, the sources continued.
The application for membership was submitted several months ago “amid disappointment in the decades-long attempt to join the European Union,” – the newspaper writes.
The decision was also influenced by Turkey's disagreements with other NATO members – Ankara has maintained close ties with Russia since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Earlier, during a visit to China on June 4, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that his country would like to join the BRICS. He noted that the bloc is a “good alternative” to the EU, of which Turkey has been a candidate member since 1999.
Formal accession negotiations were launched in 2005, but the parties repeatedly disagreed on various issues. For example, after the attack by HAMAS militants on Israel in October 2023, Erdogan said that Ankara's trust in the European Union had “shaken” amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Last fall, the Turkish leader said that his country had no expectations from the bloc, Ankara had fulfilled all its promises, and the EU had “none of its own”.
Over the weekend, Erdogan said Turkey could become a “strong, prosperous, prestigious and effective country” if it improves its relations with East and West at the same time, Bloomberg notes.
BRICS was founded in 2006, initially Brazil, Russia, India and China joined the association, and South Africa joined them in 2010. At the beginning of 2024, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Egypt joined the group.
According to Bloomberg sources, further expansion of the group may be discussed at the summit in Kazan on October 22-24.
