Kremlin: NATO membership makes it attractive for Turkiye to join BRICS

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Türkiye may well join BRICS as a member of NATO, which is what makes its integration attractive.

“From the point of view of BRICS and the main approaches of BRICS - there are no objections here,” Peskov said when asked whether Türkiye could join the association while being a NATO member, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“The attractiveness of cooperation within the BRICS is that no one poses an ‘either-or’ question. This is a condition that NATO and the EU like to put,” he added.

According to Peskov, this fact makes BRICS an even more attractive association for cooperation.

For the record, Türkiye has formally submitted a request to join the BRICS group, a move signalling the country's intention to expand its global influence and reduce dependence on traditional Western allies. By joining BRICS, Türkiye seeks to enhance economic relations with major non-Western powers, especially Russia and China, which are key partners in trade and energy.

The BRICS bloc, which originally began as BRIC in 2006, encompasses some of the world’s largest emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, which joined in 2010. BRICS positions itself as a counterbalance to Western-dominated institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. 

The latest BRICS summit, which marks the 16th annual gathering, is hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan on October 22-24, further strengthening the group’s political and economic agenda aimed at challenging the West’s dominance.

By Khagan Isayev