Filenews 3 September 2024
Turkey has formally asked to join the BRICS group led by Russia and China as it seeks to bolster its global influence and forge new ties beyond its traditional Western allies, according to people familiar with the matter.
The view of President Tayyip Erdogan's government is that the geopolitical center of gravity is moving away from advanced economies, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the issue.
The country's new diplomatic move reflects its ambitions to cultivate ties with all sides in a multipolar world while still fulfilling its obligations as a key NATO member.
Combining Europe and Asia, Turkey applied for BRICS membership a few months ago amid frustration over the lack of progress in its bid to join the European Union for decades, the sources added. The move is also partly the result of rifts with other NATO members after Turkey maintained close ties with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the sources said. Turkey's Foreign Ministry and Presidency declined to comment on the matter.
"Turkey can become a strong, prosperous, prestigious and effective country if it improves its relations with East and West at the same time," Erdogan said in Istanbul over the weekend. "Any method other than this will not benefit Turkey, but will harm it."
The BRICS Group, named after Brazil, Russia, India and China and South Africa, includes some of the largest emerging economies. It gained four new members earlier this year when Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Egypt joined its ranks. Saudi Arabia was invited to participate, although the kingdom has not yet done so, while Argentina, under its new president, Javier Millay, refused to proceed with the membership planned by the country's previous Peronist government.
Further expansion of the group could be discussed during a summit in Kazan, Russia, from October 22 to 24, the sources said. Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey's closely allied Azerbaijan are among other countries keen to join the bloc.
The BRICS present itself as an alternative to what its members see as Western-dominated institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. New members can access financing through a joint development bank as well as broaden their political and trade relations.
Erdogan's Islamic-conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) has long accused Western countries of thwarting Turkish ambitions for a self-sufficient defense industry and strong economy. Turkey's president has repeatedly called for a restructuring of the United Nations Security Council to enlarge its five permanent members and has expressed interest in joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, set up by Russia and China as a rival to NATO.
"We don't have to choose between the European Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as some claim," Erdogan said. "Instead, we need to develop our relationships with both these and other organizations on a win-win basis."
The BRICS expansion is largely driven by China, which is trying to bolster its global influence by courting countries that have traditionally been U.S. allies.
Turkey has been in talks to join the EU since 2005 but has encountered a number of obstacles, including what the bloc describes as weaknesses in the country's democracy.
Turkey believes BRICS membership could help the country improve economic cooperation with Russia and China and become a trade conduit between the EU and Asia. It wants to become a hub for gas exports from Russia and Central Asia, the sources told Bloomberg.
Erdogan's government is trying to attract investment from Chinese electric car makers, which could potentially take advantage of Turkey's customs union with the EU to boost their access to the European market.
"BRICS is an organization that increases the diversity of approaches, identities and policies in the global economic system," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after attending a meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in June.
However, Turkey is making parallel efforts to revive EU accession talks. That remains a "strategic goal," Fidan said last week after attending informal talks with his EU counterparts for the first time in five years.
Capital.gr
