Türkiye has formally applied to join the BRICS group, a move that underscores its ambition to enhance global influence and forge new alliances beyond traditional Western partners. Türkiye joined the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative in 2015.
The launching of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI ) by China and Türkiye’s Middle Corridor (MC) have provided wider scope and greater potential for China, now the world’s second-largest economy by nominal GDP, and Türkiye, a G20 member, to develop more extensive bilateral trade and investment ties and further advance their respective regional and global aspirations.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has emphasized the need for Türkiye to balance its relations with both East and West, stating that any other strategy would harm the country.
Türkiye has also undertaken a proactive policy known as “Middle Corridor” (originally in 1997) aiming to set up a transport route from the Anatolia to Central Asia and China. With the completion in October 2017 of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway (BTK) railway link, Türkiye connected its national railways to the Trans-Caspian International-Transport Route (TITR) — an important part of the China-Türkiye Europe transit corridor — extending from the Caspian Sea to Central Asia and China.
Türkiye’s bid to join BRICS is driven by frustrations with stalled EU membership talks and growing rifts with NATO members.
The move could grant Türkiye access to financing through the BRICS New Development Bank and strengthen its political and trade relationships. As BRICS considers further expansion, Türkiye’s application will be discussed at the upcoming Kazan summit in Russia, alongside other interested nations.
Sources:
- Times Now World, Sep 3, 2024.
Video: https://youtu.be/MkVHc6wngYE - Middle East Institute, June 26, 2018. https://www.mei.edu/…/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative…