Turkey's BRICS membership application reportedly met with significant setbacks.
Surprisingly, NATO ally Turkey has put in a bid to join BRICS, a group that Russian President Vladimir Putin is attempting to transform into a counter-Western alliance. Regrettably, it appears that Turkey's application has been turned down. It's been reported that one member has refused to back Turkey's entry.
The Western world has taken notice of Turkey's intentions to join the BRICS organization, which is primarily influenced by Russia, India, and China, but there hasn't been a significant uproar. In June, the US Ambassador to Turkey, Jeff Flake, shared his hopes with the Turkish newspaper "Daily Sabah" that Turkey would not join BRICS, yet further mentioned that such a move wouldn't alter Ankara's ties with the West. Flake's sentiments appear to have been fulfilled.
sources say that there wasn't even a vote on Turkey's enrollment at the present BRICS meeting in Russia. The reason behind this: India is reportedly responsible for blocking Turkey's entry due to its friendly relations with Pakistan, a rival country. The unity required for approval couldn't be achieved. This development is expected to be celebrated in NATO and the EU, although no official announcement has been made yet.
Turkish President Erdogan has advocated for his country's participation in significant platforms, including BRICS, in the past. Ankara is grappling with persistently high inflation and the devaluation of its national currency, the lira.
In an article published in the "IPS Journal," Turkey expert and former Ukrainian diplomat Yevgeniya Gaber of the Atlantic Council suggested that Turkey's involvement in BRICS was driven primarily by economic factors. Gaber wrote that Turkey expects that expanding trade and economic cooperation with Brazil, India, China, and other major emerging economies will provide access to fresh markets and attract new investments to the country.
Similar to US Ambassador Flake, Turkey expert Gaber didn't anticipate that a possible admission to BRICS would signify a shift in Ankara's Western course. Instead, she believed it would align with Turkey's "foreign policy course," which is centered on three fundamental principles: "pragmatism, balance, and dialogue with all parties, even those that are adversaries in a conflict."
Erdogan stays loyal to Ukraine
Politically, Turkey's membership in BRICS would be intricate, given ongoing conflicts and crises. Russia has expressed interest in admitting Turkey, but NATO, where Turkey is a member, is considered the arch-nemesis of Vladimir Putin. So far, no NATO member has become a part of BRICS.
Ankara has consistently expressed its support for Ukraine, which Putin has been at war with for more than 2.5 years. Just last month, Erdogan called for the return of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea to Kyiv. "We remain committed to Ukraine's territorial integrity," Erdogan declared.
The West accuses Putin of aiming to transform BRICS into an "anti-Western alliance." "Putin's bloc mentality is outdated in a multiple-polar world," said Development Minister Svenja Schulze. However, the union doesn't seem as united as Putin would like it to be.
ntv-Reporter Rainer Munz mentioned the vague language used in the final statement. "The individual states have conflicts. Russia's desire for its own currency system isn't shared by other states. Tensions even exist between China and Russia when it comes to money," Munz added.
Even though Turkey's bid to join the BRICS alliance, primarily influenced by Russia, India, and China, has been rejected, the rejection is expected to be celebrated in the European Union due to India's reported blocking of Turkey's entry due to its friendly relations with Pakistan. Turkey's President Erdogan has expressed his desire for Turkey's participation in significant platforms, including BRICS, but politically, Turkey's membership in BRICS would be complex given its commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity and NATO's opposition to BRICS being transformed into an "anti-Western alliance" by Russia.
