Ankara denies India's blocking of Türkiye's BRICS membership

The Centre for Combating Disinformation of the Turkish Presidential Administration has denied reports from foreign media claiming that India allegedly blocked Türkiye's membership in BRICS during the summit held in Russia’s Kazan city from October 22 to 24.

“The issue of membership for other countries in BRICS was not on the agenda of the expanded leaders' meeting at the BRICS summit in Kazan, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended. Claims that India is an obstacle to Türkiye’s accession to BRICS are not true,” the statement says, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

Earlier, the German Bild tabloid newspaper wrote that Ankara wished to join BRICS, but India was allegedly obstructing this due to Türkiye's close relations with Pakistan.  

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has said that the representatives from Indonesia expressed the desire to join BRICS at the outreach meeting of "BRICS Plus" during the 16th summit.

"Indonesia expressed its intention to join BRICS at the 'BRICS Plus' meeting in Kazan," the message says.  

"The inclusion of Indonesia in BRICS reflects our commitment to an independent foreign policy," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said.

"This does not mean we are aligning with any specific bloc; rather, we actively engage in all formats," she added.  

"We see that the priorities of BRICS align with the working programmes of the Indonesian government, particularly those related to food and energy security, poverty eradication, and human resource development," Indonesia's foreign minister said.  

He emphasised that through its participation in BRICS, Indonesia aims to draw attention to the shared interests of developing nations and countries of the Global South.  

The 16th BRICS summit, a key event during Russia's presidency of the group, took place in Kazan from October 22 to 24. 

On the second day of the summit, participants adopted the Kazan Declaration. Key topics addressed in the document include the development of the organisation, positions on global issues, and the resolution of regional crises, including those in Ukraine and the Middle East.  

The BRICS group was established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2011. 

On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia became members of the organisation. The summit in Kazan marked the first time when these new members participated as full-fledged members.

By Naila Huseynova