The XVI BRICS summit of heads of state in Kazan on October 22-24 was a grand international event, in which the representatives of 36 states and 6 international organisations took place. Türkiye has submitted an application to join.

Why is BRICS of interest to Türkiye?

BRICS does not aim to replace well-known, universally recognised intergovernmental institutions (especially the UN), but the formation and subsequent development of BRICS serve as evidence of objective transformations in the system of international relations regarding the formation of a more just world order. In fact, BRICS is the contour of the formation of a multipolar world in which different poles and vectors of development are integrated. It was exactly this main achievement of the emerging new world order that was illustrated by the BRICS summit in Kazan.

Türkiye positions itself as the leader of the Turkic world. At the turn of the 20th century, Ankara did much to build the foundations of cultural, economic, energy, transport, communication and political integration of the Turkic states. Institutionally, in 1992 this resulted in the formation of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), mainly having to do with Turkic countries. In 2009, TIKA paved the way for the formation of an intergovernmental organisation, namely the Cooperation Council of Turkic–speaking States (Turkic Council), which later transformed into the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS).

Türkiye is conducting active political work, making efforts to cooperate militarily and technically with CIS countries and is aiming for the implementation of new ambitious geo-economic projects for large-scale access to the richest natural resources of the Central Asian region.

Türkiye is objectively interested in the establishment of a multipolar world, reducing economic and military dependence on the West, which is led by the United States. Such a prospect is not possible for Türkiye in the context of a unipolar world and U.S. hegemony, rather in the conditions of developing mutually beneficial ties with other key global players like Russia, China, India, the EU etc.

Within the framework of effective relations with BRICS, Türkiye receives more significant and favourable development conditions, considering the raw materials, demographic, geographical, technological potential and conditions of BRICS countries. In addition, Türkiye actively maintains mutually beneficial economic ties with each key member of BRICS, e.g. with Russia and China.

It is no coincidence that the pragmatic policy of President Recep Erdogan advocates for the development of effective relations with BRICS, which includes Türkiye’s closest key neighbours in the Middle East. Türkiye’s accession to the alliance will allow it to increase its authority in resolving regional conflicts in the Middle East. Thus, the final declaration of the Kazan BRICS summit supported the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis via the recognition of Palestinian independence within the 1967 borders, an idea actively promoted by Türkiye.

Türkiye’s integration in BRICS: membership or partnership?

Turkish President R. Erdogan paid an official visit to Russia on October 23 and took part in the BRICS summit. The meeting and negotiations between Erdogan and Putin, like previously, had a friendly air to them; the parties discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral relations and regional security. The Turkish leader described relations with Russia as multifaceted and once again promised to accelerate the implementation of the gas hub project, settle bank payments and intensify trade and economic ties.

Naturally, the topic of BRICS was at the heart of negotiations, where Ankara welcomes the most effective and intensive economic partnership in the interests of its country. However, the positive response of the BRICS summit to the Turkish application has not yet led to Turkish membership in the alliance.

BRICS is a collective institution and each member of the association can have their own opinions on the issue of expansion. In addition, as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted to the IRNA news agency, the heads of BRICS member states have decided not to expand the membership of the association yet and instead follow the path of partnership development.

On the eve of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview with Haber Global TV channel: “We have already expressed that we are interested in BRICS… We are closely monitoring the process and maintaining contacts with them. We are also looking at what the growth strategy will be…. At a time when economic partnerships are expanding, interest in BRICS is growing. Together we will see how BRICS will handle this”.

At the same time, Fidan considers the mechanism for accepting new members to the BRICS to be “conditional”. “You make a statement of intent. After that… they invite you to become either a partner state or a member state of the organisation and then you make a decision”, the Turkish Foreign Minister stressed. From this it is clear that Türkiye is not yet ready to claim the status of being a BRICS member, but expects broad and effective cooperation. The latter is determined by Ankara’s concerns about possible adverse consequences from the United States and the EU.

Türkiye’s foreign trade turnover with the EU is 60%. Ankara is interested in strengthening its membership in NATO and expanding military-technical cooperation. Thus, the talks between Turkish President R. Erdogan and German Chancellor O. Scholz in Istanbul in October of this year showed that Ankara and Berlin intend to increase trade turnover from $50 bn to $60 bn and in September Germany lifted the arms embargo on Türkiye.

The Istanbul meeting also clarified the issue of Türkiye’s possible purchase of Eurofighter Typhoon fighters worth $5.6 bn. As is known, Türkiye received approval of this deal from London, but Berlin had a differing opinion. According to Middle East Eye, Germany demands written guarantees from Türkiye that Eurofighter Typhoon fighters will not be used against Greece. Meanwhile, Türkiye has raised its military budget for 2025 to a record $47 bn, which indirectly indicates that a military deal has been reached.

According to some Turkish experts, BRICS can become an alternative to the EU. Thus, columnist for the newspaper ‘Türkiye’ Necmettin Batirel believes that Ankara’s accession to BRICS may be a signal to Europe, which has been postponing Turkish accession to the EU for a long time.

However, Ankara is not brave enough against the West. It wants to choose the easy way: not being tied to BRICS membership, but having more economic benefits.

In addition, a number of BRICS members still have issues with Türkiye. For example, the UAE, Egypt and Russia are not satisfied with Turkish policy vis-à-vis Libya, where Ankara has begun to support pro-American forces. There are still uncertainties for Russia with Türkiye on the topic of freezing bank payments under pressure from the US financial system, although Turkish business (especially construction) receives billions of dollars in profits on the Russian market.

It is obvious that Türkiye’s pragmatic course will continue the policy of balancing between the East and West. Was Türkiye’s membership in NATO the reason for its non-admission to BRICS? Most likely not, as Ankara is distinguished by a certain independence and individual BRICS members are interested in fragmentation of the alliance itself.

Alexander Svarants—Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook.” Courtesy

https://journal-neo.su/2024/10/29/turkiye-brics-between-membership-and-partnership/