Turkey submits official application to join BRICS

Bloomberg reported the information, citing its own sources.

According to sources, Turkey "seeks to bolster its global influence and forge new ties beyond its traditional Western allies," which has led it to apply for membership in the BRICS group.

The agency also noted that the bloc plans to discuss the expansion of the association at its summit scheduled for October in Russia.

"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," the article says.

Bloomberg's sources add that Turkey applied to join the BRICS several months ago amid frustration over "lack of progress in its decades-old bid to join the European Union."

"Turkey can become a strong, prosperous, prestigious and effective country if it improves its relations with the East and the West simultaneously," President Recep Erdogan said earlier in Istanbul.

• On August 24, 2023, at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, the leaders of the organization invited six countries—Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE—to join as new members.
• On December 29, Argentina's newly elected President Javier Milei officially notified the leaders of Brazil, China, Russia, South Africa, and India of the country's decision to decline the invitation to join the BRICS bloc.
• On January 2, five more countries joined the organization.

BRICS: background

Brazil, Russia, India, and China are the founding members of BRICS, with South Africa joining later. The acronym BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Beyond geopolitics, the group focuses on economic cooperation, increasing multilateral trade, and development.

The term BRICS was coined in 2001 by Jim O'Neill, then chief economist at Goldman Sachs, in a research article that highlighted the growth potential of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. The bloc was established as an informal club in 2009 to create a platform for its members to challenge the world order dominated by the United States and its Western allies.

Its creation was initiated by Russia. The group is not a formal multilateral organisation like the United Nations, the World Bank or the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The heads of state and government of the participating countries meet annually, and each country assumes a one-year chairmanship of the group.

It should be noted that South Africa, the smallest member in terms of economic influence and population, was the first country to benefit from the expansion of the bloc in 2010, when the grouping became known as BRICS.