Turkey has formally asked to join the BRICS group of emerging-market nations, Bloomberg quotes people familiar with the matter as saying.
The view of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration is that the geopolitical center of gravity is shifting away from developed economies, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to comment.
The country’s new diplomatic push reflects its aspirations to cultivate ties with all sides in a multipolar world, while still fulfilling its obligations as a key member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, they said.
Straddling Europe and Asia, Turkey submitted an application to join BRICS some months ago amid frustration over a lack of progress in its decades-old bid to join the European Union, the people added.
The BRICS grouping, named after Brazil, Russia, India and China and South Africa, includes some of the biggest emerging economies.
It got four new members at the start of this year when Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Egypt joined its ranks. Saudi Arabia was invited to join, though the Kingdom is yet to do that.
The group’s further enlargement could be discussed during a summit in Kazan, Russia, from Oct. 22-24, said the people. Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey’s close ally Azerbaijan are among other countries looking to join.
