NATO member Turkey submits formal bid to join BRICS

Turkey has submitted a request to join the BRICS bloc of nations, according to an announcement by an official from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Omer Celik, spokesperson for the party, said that "Our president has many times stated that we want to become a BRICS member… The process is now underway".

"Our president has clearly stated that Turkey wants to take part in all important platforms, including BRICS," he added.

The announcement comes after Bloomberg reported on Monday that Turkey had made its submission months ago, with Turkish sources telling the publication its part of an attempt to create greater ties in a multipolar world and comes at the direction of Erdogan.

The sources added that such a bid would allow Turkey to bridge economic trade between the EU and Asia as well as improve economic ties with Russia and China.

Bloomberg reported that this includes being a hub for gas exports from Russia and Central Asia.

However, sources reiterated that Turkey would fulfill its commitments to the NATO alliance.

The BRICS bloc of nations, founded in 2009, is named after founding members Brazil, Russia, India, China along with early joiner South Africa.

In 2024 the bloc grew to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE, with Saudi Arabia also being invited to join.

In addition to improving bilateral relations between members, the associated BRICS Development Bank based in Shanghai offers both members and non-members an alternative to investment funding to Western-based International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

Over the past decade Turkey has sought to diversify its diplomatic and economic relations away from the West, seeking greater cooperation states in the Middle East and North Africa.

Such a pivot has most recently seen Turkey attempt to negotiate a $20 billion dollar Development Road Project alongside Qatar, Iraq and the UAE to increase the transportation of goods from the Gulf to Europe.

It has also increased its stake in the geopolitics of the region, crafting ties with Qatar during its blockade by Saudi Arabia, supporting Syria's opposition and Libya's UN-recognised government.

It has also maintained relations with Russia, including after Western states-imposed sanctions on the state following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

In 2019 Turkey entered into a spat with the US over it's purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft systems which saw the country removed from the F-35 program.

In late August reports came out that Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan would travel to Brussels to join a meeting to revive relations with the bloc, for which it has candidate status.