Turkey's BRICS ambitions hinge on India, China accepting Ankara's bid
Geopolitical equations might pave the way for BRICS members to welcome Turkey in the bloc but such outcome is both complicated and not imminent.
Turkey’s potential membership in the BRICS group is on the table after Turkish officials reaffirmed Ankara’s interest this week to join the bloc despite being a member of NATO. Experts, however, believe the country’s inclusion in the group is possible but not imminent.
On Tuesday, Omer Celik, spokesperson for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, repeated Turkey’s desire to join the group. His remarks came in response to a question about whether Turkey applied to become a full member of the bloc, as Bloomberg news agency reported. BRICS chair Yuri Ushakov, who is also a senior adviser to Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, confirmed the Turkish application on Thursday.
Turkey watchers believe that given Ankara’s increasingly independent foreign policy, it is still an option worth exploring without jeopardizing the country’s Western connections, but the jury’s out on how BRICS countries will respond to Turkey's candidacy.
Challenges to BRICS membership
