türkiye hopes to join the brics, and its disappointment with the west has reached a peak｜jingniangguan
2024-09-04
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▲data map: turkish president erdogan (front center). photo/xinhua news agency
as the opening date of the brics summit in kazan approaches, rumors that turkey wants to join the brics are rising again. according to a report on the website of newsweek on september 2, turkey will become the first nato member to request to join the brics.
in this regard, on september 3, at the regular press conference held by the ministry of foreign affairs, a reporter asked, according to sources, turkey has submitted a formal application to join the brics. what is the ministry of foreign affairs' comment? foreign ministry spokesperson mao ning said that the brics is an important platform for cooperation between emerging market countries and developing countries. china is willing to work with other brics countries to continue to uphold the brics spirit of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation, and support more like-minded partners to participate in brics cooperation.
this is not the first time türkiye wants to join brics
turkey's first official expression of its willingness to join the brics was in early june. in june this year, turkish foreign minister fidan visited china and was asked at a forum whether turkey was willing to join the brics. he replied, "of course we are willing, why not?" but did not elaborate further.
on june 5, russian president's press secretary peskov said that russia "welcomes" turkey's desire to join the brics and that the topic "will be included in the agenda of the organization's next summit", making it a hot topic for a while. however, on june 26, russian foreign minister lavrov said that the existing brics member states "voted unanimously to suspend the admission of new members". the first round of discussions on turkey's "embracing brics" has temporarily "cooled down".
soon after, turkish finance minister simsek said in london that turkey "does not want to decouple from 'core' western partners." turkish defense minister guler also declared in august that turkey "remains committed to fulfilling its obligations as a nato ally."
on september 2, bloomberg reported that turkey "has formally requested to join the brics." the report cited anonymous sources as saying that turkish president erdogan's government believes that the "geopolitical center of gravity" is moving away from the most developed economies. this move shows that turkey's goal is to "cultivate relationships with all parties in a multipolar world" while still fulfilling its obligations as a key member of nato.
on september 3, when asked to confirm or refute the aforementioned bloomberg report, a spokesman for turkey's ruling party said that erdogan "has repeatedly expressed his interest in joining the brics, and our requirements on this issue are clear. the process is taking place within this framework, but there has been no concrete progress yet."
however, this relatively reserved statement did not cool down the heated discussion on the matter. the us newsweek website commented that turkey was "the first nato ally to express its willingness to join the brics" and focused on whether turkey's move would be seen as "departing from the western camp".
türkiye's frustration
jurgen, head of the istanbul think tank edam, and others believe that turkey's move is due to its growing dissatisfaction with the west and the eu.
for many years, turkey has been seeking to join the eu, but has always been excluded for various reasons. even the negotiations between turkey and the eu on the modernization of the customs union have now stalled. jurgen believes that "this is not ankara's (the capital of turkey, here refers to turkey) strategy to replace the west, but a strategy to strengthen relations with non-western countries as the us hegemony gradually weakens."
at the same time, the relationship between turkey and the united states has been in trouble in recent years. the united states kicked it out of the f-35 fighter jet program and issued a series of criticisms and accusations against turkey, "which gave turkey a strong sense of frustration and prompted the turkish government to move closer to the brics countries."
▲data map: streets in istanbul, turkey. photo/xinhua news agency
some analysts believe that the brics is a purely economic organization without defense and security cooperation functions. turkey believes that joining the organization can enhance turkey's strategic autonomy and reflect its role as a geopolitical power without overly irritating the west.
some analysts also said that erdogan's real purpose is not to really turn away from the west, but to increase his bargaining chips with the west. as turkish officials have repeatedly stated, erdogan is trying to "have compatible relations with the west and brics countries", but the question is "whether he can really do it."
jurgen believes that "brics is an economic organization after all, and even if it joins, it will not fundamentally affect turkey's role as a nato member. this move may have a far greater impact on turkey-eu relations than on turkey-nato relations."
new markets and investment opportunities
another view is that the main motivation for turkey to "embrace brics" is to value the economic potential of emerging economies. in particular, china and india have impressive economic growth rates, which have attracted turkey, which hopes to strengthen its economic position. turkey believes that as europe's economic growth slows, brics countries provide new opportunities for cooperation and development.
not only that, reducing dependence on the west is also an important factor. turkey hopes to reduce its economic and political dependence on western countries, especially after several tensions with the european union and the united states. joining the brics will allow turkey to pursue a more independent foreign policy and diversify its economic relations.
analysts believe that the development of new markets is another important benefit. joining the brics could open up new markets and investment opportunities for turkey, which is particularly important in the current unstable global economy. in addition, joining the brics could promote the expansion of turkey's exports and attract investment in key industries such as energy, transportation and telecommunications.
analysts believe that the political support turkey receives from brics countries also plays an important role. against the backdrop of growing global political instability and challenges such as terrorism and the migration crisis, establishing close ties with powerful developing countries can be an important factor in national security.
in addition, "embracing the brics" may also bring dividends including increased trade volume and exports, accelerated infrastructure development, diversified channels for acquiring new technologies, and increased financial stability factors.
overall, this strategic decision opens up new opportunities for the country's economic and political growth, enough to offset the negative impact that could cause suspicion and dissatisfaction in europe and the united states.
but "embracing the brics" may just be a deliberate provocative gesture by erdogan to encourage all parties to send more signals favorable to turkey.
if the brics countries are hesitant on the issue of "access", it will also affect turkey's willingness to "embrace the brics". perhaps, as the positions of several major brics members become clearer, especially with the concentrated release of a series of statements at the kazan summit, the true meaning of turkey's "embrace the brics" will become clearer.
written by tao duanfang (columnist)
editor/ ma xiaolong
proofreading/ chen diyan
