Turkey applies to BRICS in bid to build alliances beyond West
Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Getty Images)
Turkey has officially applied to join the BRICS group of emerging markets, seeking to enhance its global influence and establish new connections beyond its traditional Western alliances, citing Bloomberg.
According to anonymous sources at the agency, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's administration believes that the geopolitical center of gravity is shifting away from developed economies.
They said that the country’s recent diplomatic moves reflect its aspiration to build ties with all sides of a multipolar world while continuing to fulfill its obligations as a key NATO member.
Located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Turkey applied to join BRICS several months ago amid frustration over the lack of progress in its decade-long bid to join the European Union, the sources added. The application is also partly a result of disagreements with other NATO members after Turkey maintained close ties with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, they said.
Multi-vector policy
"Turkey can become a strong, prosperous, prestigious and effective country if it improves its relations with the East and the West simultaneously," Erdoğan said in Istanbul last weekend. "Any method other than this will not benefit Turkey, but will harm it."
The BRICS group, named after Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, includes some of the largest emerging economies. Earlier this year, four new members joined the group – Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Egypt. Saudi Arabia has been invited to join, though the kingdom has not yet done so.
Further expansion of the group may be discussed at the summit in Kazan, Russia, from October 22-24, Bloomberg sources said. Malaysia, Thailand, and Turkey's close ally Azerbaijan are also seeking to join.
