Turkey has become the first NATO member to formally apply to join the BRICS Group of emerging market nations led by Russia and China.
The move is a sign of Ankara’s frustration with the West over long-delayed negotiations to join the EU , which have stalled for years after beginning in 2005, and support for Israel’s wae in Gaza. .
Despite being part of the US-dominated military alliance, Ankara has not joined Western sanctions imposed on the Kremlin for Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Instead, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish president, has carved out a mediation role between Russia and Ukraine , playing a crucial role in negotiations over grain shipments from Black Sea ports and the recent prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.
“Turkey can become a strong, prosperous, prestigious and effective country if it improves its relations with the East and the West simultaneously,” he said in Istanbul at the weekend.
Mr Erdoğan, who has repeatedly criticised US support for Israel’s war on Hamas, insisted Ankara did not have to choose between the EU and other partners in an increasingly polarised world.
“On the contrary, we have to develop our relations with both these and other organisations on a win-win basis,” he said. “Any method other than this will not benefit Turkey, but will harm it.”
The Brics rivals the US-led G7 group of rich nations on the world stage. It is named after Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa but the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Egypt joined earlier this year.
Russia and China, both thorns in Nato’s side, have a “no limits” alliance, which has deepened since Moscow was ostracised by the West.
Turkey’s application will be discussed at a Brics meeting in Russia this October. The Kremlin welcomed reports of Ankara’s desire to join in June but the balancing act is likely to strain relations with the US and other Nato members.
Sources told Bloomberg that the Turkish government thinks “the geopolitical centre of gravity” is moving away from the most developed economies.
Sinan Ülgen, a former diplomat and head of the Istanbul-based think tank EDAM told Newsweek it was a “strategy to strengthen relations with non-Western powers at a time when the US hegemony is waning”.
“The bilateral relationship with the US has also been problematic,” he added.
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