Turkey’s ruling AKP: No concrete steps taken towards BRICS membership
Turkey has taken no concrete steps towards meeting its stated desire to join the BRICS group of emerging economies but “a process is underway,” Omer Celik, the spokesperson for the country’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said on Tuesday.
“Our president has stated at various times that we want to be a member [of BRICS] … Our request on this issue is clear. This process is underway in this framework, but there is no concrete development on this,” Celik told reporters in Ankara.
“If there is a concrete development – a decision or evaluation by BRICS on membership – we will share that with you,” he said when asked about media reports on the issue.
Turkey has been relatively coy in public about its plans.
Asked during a visit to China in June whether Turkey might join the BRICS group, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said “we would like to, of course, why would we not?” without elaborating further.
Russia welcomed Fidan’s reported comments and said the issue would be on the agenda of the BRICS’ next summit.
But Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek later said in London that Turkey did not want to decouple from its “core” Western partners, while its defense minister stressed last month that Ankara remained committed to its responsibilities as a NATO ally.
Ankara’s interest in the BRICS group and its friendly ties with Russia, especially in energy, tourism but also in defense, have stirred US and European fears that Turkey may be pivoting away from its traditional Western geopolitical orientation. [Reuters]
