Turkey to join the BRICS?

By Rhod Mackenzie

Turkey has asked to join the BRICS. The matter will be addressed at the forthcoming meeting of the BRICS Foreign Ministers in Nizhny Novgorod. Turkey has asked to join the BRICS. and what consequences could this lead to?
During his visit to China, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced Ankara's desire to join BRICS. The issue will be discussed at a meeting of Commonwealth Foreign Ministers in Nizhny Novgorod on 10-11 June. Fidan highlighted that some European countries are opposed to Turkey's EU accession, prompting the country's authorities to explore BRICS as an alternative integration platform.

Mr. Fidan stated that Turkey cannot ignore the fact that BRICS represents an important platform for cooperation, offering other countries a viable alternative. The minister highlighted the potential of BRICS.

It is worth noting that Turkey is a member of NATO and part of the Customs Union with the European Union. Turkey applied to join the European Economic Community nearly four decades ago and was officially recognised as a candidate for full EU membership in 1999.
The negotiations on Ankara's membership bid, which commenced in 2005, have been on hold for some time due to a number of contentious issues, including differences in approach to human rights and foreign policy. Western allies have on numerous occasions expressed their concerns about Ankara's relationship with Moscow in recent years.

In a conversation with reporters, the Press Secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, said that Russia welcomes keen interest in BRICS, but that the organisation is unlikely to satisfy the interests of all interested countries. As reported by RIA Novosti, Peskov emphasized that BRICS is interested in maintaining contacts with all interested states. "In light of this, various formats for maintaining this contact are now being considered," Peskov said.

The BRICS community comprises Russia, Brazil, India, China, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Egypt and Iran. This year, Russia is chairing BRICS and will be hosting the 16th summit of the Commonwealth in Kazan in October. Over the years, BRICS summits have been held in Yekaterinburg and Ufa. The New Development Bank estimates that by 2028, the BRICS countries will account for 35 to 40% of global GDP, while the G7's share will drop to 27.8%.

BRICS is open to countries with very different political and economic systems. This decision is made by consensus of all participants in the community. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week, the only condition is to work “on the basis of the key principle – the sovereign equality of states, which our Western colleagues cannot do.” Mr. Lavrov highlighted that to date, nearly 30 countries have expressed their willingness to engage with BRICS in various ways by submitting relevant applications.
The countries in question are Algeria, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestine, Senegal, Thailand, Venezuela and Vietnam. In April, Mr Lavrov, following negotiations with Bolivian Foreign Minister Ms Celinda Sosa, announced Russian support for Mr Sucre’s desire to join BRICS.
Experts agree that for Turkey, joining BRICS would further strengthen economic ties with the countries of the commonwealth. "BRICS are large and capacious markets where Turkish products have long been welcome. Russia is full of Turkish things, fruits, and there are Turkish construction companies. It's a similar story with other countries. Therefore, based on economic considerations alone, Turkey should definitely join BRICS," says economist Ivan Lizan.
BRICS is an informal club, each country has its own interests. "What they have in common is that they are all tired of the G7 countries and the United States. They want to put together their own effective organisation and play by clear rules," the interlocutor continued.
"If the parties do not oppose Turkey, then BRICS will expand to one more country. Russia will not resist; there are quite good working relations between the two states."

He also believes that India and China should not oppose Turkey’s entry, despite the issue of the Uyghurs. In fact, Fidan will also visit them. He adds that there should be no objections to Turkey joining BRICS. He views the fact that a NATO member country is joining an anti-American alliance as surprising. Turkey is interested in selling its goods, not playing geopolitics. "Any increase in contradictions between any country and the United States and the European Union is to our benefit," the speaker added.
According to him, the ideal condition for Turkey to join BRICS would be the country's withdrawal from NATO, but “the Turks, it seems, will not agree to this.” “Optimists believed that the BRICS forum could become a full-fledged intergovernmental organization - with a charter and a secretariat... But Turkey’s accession will show that BRICS will remain a forum of the Eastern model of the APEC type, which is not very good for those who believed that the forum has an institutional the future,” the political scientist noted. The expert did not rule out that

With words about BRICS, Turkey is making another attempt to bargain with Europe, which is in no hurry to invite Ankara to the European Union.

“Türkiye, as a major power and a civilization state, is not going to cling to any international organization.Experts agree that Ankara’s desire to join BRICS will enhance the status of this format. However, a country can withdraw from the process at any time, as Argentina did when it cancelled its application to become an official member of BRICS in 2024.

“Until the criteria for membership in BRICS are finalised, the issue of Turkey’s admission to the community looks challenging. A long-term solution to the problem may be to fix the number of permanent BRICS members and accept newcomers in the BRICS+ format. This is according to Stanislav Tkachenko, professor of the Department of European Studies, Faculty of International Relations, St. Petersburg State University, expert of the Valdai Club.
In NATO, she is said to be an enfant terrible – not the most loyal member. This desire to join BRICS reflects the general trend of multi-vector Turkish foreign policy in recent decades. Erdogan sees that the West is weakening, so he is diversifying his ties, including with the BRICS states.
At the same time, BRICS has no reservations regarding the admission of new members regarding their participation in other organisations. India is also developing close military cooperation with the United States. Turkey’s membership of NATO therefore does not preclude the country from joining BRICS, as the latter is non-binding and predominantly economic in nature.

The expert agrees that Ankara has a desire to bargain with the EU through applications to join BRICS. Turkey has been in line to join the EU for decades and understands that they do not want to admit it. The speaker went on to say that this could be a method of blackmail and pressure on the EU. "If you do not accept us, then we will join BRICS," he said.
Svetov also believes that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not adhere to any foreign policy course, but is looking for opportunities to strengthen Turkey in foreign policy and economics. “Erdogan is a merchant, he trades where it is profitable. Turkey’s main advantage is its geographical location at the junction of Europe and Asia, it is a connecting link between two great continents. "Therefore, Turkey’s entry into BRICS, if it takes place, could strengthen the organisation – and this will be beneficial to Russia," Svetov explained.