Bloomberg: Türkiye officially asked for BRICS membership

According to RCO News Agency, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced his country’s desire to become a member of the BRICS bloc during his trip to Beijing in early June and said: “We definitely want to be a member of BRICS; So we will consider this issue this year.”

“The government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believes that the geopolitical center of gravity is shifting away from developed economies,” Bloomberg News reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

Bloomberg writes in the continuation of this report: “Turkey’s diplomatic efforts show the progress and improvement of relations with all parties in a multipolar world, while at the same time trying to fulfill its duties and obligations as a member of NATO.”

“Turkey applied to join BRICS a few months ago amid frustration at the lack of progress in its decades-long bid to join the European Union,” the people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. This proposal is partly the result of a rift with other NATO members after Turkey maintained close ties with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye and the presidential institution of this country have not yet responded to the request for comment.

Five countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Egypt, became full members of the “BRICS” group on January 1 (11), which is now called “BRICS+”.

The BRICS group was established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, while South Africa joined the bloc in 2011, and this year Russia holds the rotating presidency of BRICS Plus.

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