Turkey's intention to join the BRICS group of nations is welcomed by Russia, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, stating that the topic would be on the next summit's agenda.
Peskov noted that states were showing more interest in BRICS, a group that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, but that it was unlikely that the group of nations could satisfy all interested countries.
Hakan Fidan, the country's foreign minister, made his first official visit to BRICS-member China on Monday, the first highest-level visit of its kind since 2012. During the visit, Fidan spoke with Wang Yi, a Chinese official, and others.
When asked if Turkey would like to join the BRICS during a Monday talk at the Center for China and Globalization, Fidan responded, “We would like to, of course, why would we not?” He did not, however, go into further detail.
According to the state-run Anadolu news agency in Turkey, Ankara was considering cooperating with BRICS members and that he would attend a group meeting scheduled for next week in Russia.
Given that it had not previously indicated its intention to formally join, it was unclear when Ankara would decide to join the BRICS group.
Turkey, a NATO member, had recently been criticized by its Western allies for its ties to Russia, with some claiming that its “axis” was shifting away from the Western military alliance.
Ankara has rejected this, claiming to have kept its commitment to the alliance, as well as its goal of full European Union membership.
