Ahead of the 16th BRICS summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan submitted a request for associate membership in the group. However, during the final press conference on the second day of the summit, no statements were made on the subject.
This was noted by the German publication Bild, Ukrinform reports.
Sinan Ülgen, a Turkish foreign policy expert at the U.S.-based think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, claims there wasn’t even a vote on the issue. According to the former Turkish diplomat, Turkey’s entry into BRICS is being blocked by India due to Ankara’s close relations with Pakistan, a country hostile to New Delhi.
Ülgen explained that Erdoğan has several reasons for wanting to join BRICS. Primarily, it would help Turkey strengthen its ‘strategic autonomy’ through this platform. Additionally, Ankara may be trying to express its frustration with the European Union, which has been delaying Turkey’s EU membership bid and the modernization of the EU-Turkey customs union.
The expert also highlighted ‘political prestige’ as another motive for Erdoğan, who wants to demonstrate that “he can sit at both NATO and BRICS tables simultaneously.”
Critics, however, argue that such maneuvers are leading Turkey into foreign policy isolation, despite Erdoğan portraying himself as an ‘international mediator’. Turkey’s application has also angered its Western partners, particularly NATO allies.
According to Ülgen, no further expansion is expected in the near future. “Several countries oppose the next wave of expansion,” he commented.
Recently, BRICS added new members, including Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Official membership applications have also been submitted by Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Malaysia.
As reported by Ukrinform, the BRICS summit was recently held in Kazan, Russia.
