NATO Ally Turkey Eyes BRICS Membership After EU Snub: Erdogan Pushes For Stronger Ties With 'All Sides In A Multipolar World'

The clout of the BRICS — a coalition of developing nations set up to challenge the dominance of Western nations — is growing in prominence by the day, and the latest evidence is the quest of the transcontinental nation of Turkey to join the alliance.

What Happened: Turkey, formally called the Republic of Türkiye, has applied to join the BRICS amid President Recep Tayyip Erdogan-led administration’s view that the geopolitical clout is shifting away from developed economies, said Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.

Incidentally, Turkey is a member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a political and military alliance of European and North American countries established with the objective of protecting each other in the eventuality of any threat.

Turkey reportedly feels it has to have ties with “all sides in a multipolar world,” even as it remained committed to its NATO membership.

BRICS initially started with Brazil, Russia, India and China as its founding members in 2009, with South Africa joining them a year later. Earlier this year, the group enlarged to include Iran, the UAE, Ethiopia and Egypt. Saudi Arabia, though having received an invite, is yet to give its nod to join the alliance.

The group is likely to discuss the addition of further members at a meeting due to be held in Kazan, Russia from Oct. 22-24, the Bloomberg report said, adding that Malaysia, Thailand and Azerbaijan mulling to join the union.

See Also: How to Invest in BRICS

Why It’s Important: Turkey will be the first NATO member seeking BRICS membership, and it will be a coup of sorts for BRICS as its leadership includes Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping with whom NATO is at loggerheads with.

BRICS is considered an alternative to the G-7 grouping of developed nations and it operates the New Development Bank, formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, established by the BRICS states. The Shanghai-headquartered bank aims to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging market economies and developing countries. The group also promotes the use of local currencies in trade within the group and is also widely expected to launch an alternative to the dollar.

Turkey, meanwhile, has found itself outside the radar of the European Union despite its desire to join the block of 27 countries located primarily in the continent of Europe since 1999. Erdoğan's Turkey was something the EU may not be willing to assimilate, considering the state of human rights, freedoms in public life, freedom of the press, and separation of the institutions of state, according to Fair Observer.

Turkey, however, has a customs union with the EU, which vests some privileges including the free movement of goods covered that are either wholly produced or put in free circulation after their import from third countries and the alignment of Türkiye with Community common customs tariff, including preferential arrangements, and harmonization of commercial policy measures.

With a potential accession to the BRICS, Turkey seeks an improvement in “economic cooperation with Russia and China, and become a trade conduit between the EU and Asia,” Bloomberg said, citing the sources. “It wants to be a hub for gas exports out of Russia and Central Asia.”

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