Analysts say Türkiye’s bid for BRICS is both strategic and symbolic

Turkey’s request to join the BRICS alliance is seen as a strategic and symbolic move as the Eurasian country of 85 million people grows in influence and influence on the global stage.

“Our president has stated many times that we want to be a member of the BRICS,” a spokesman for Türkiye’s leading Justice and Development Party told reporters in early September. “Our demands on this matter are clear and the entire process is taking place within this framework.”

BRICS, representing Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is a group of emerging market countries seeking to deepen economic ties. This year, it added four new members: Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

It is also seen as a counterweight to Western-led organizations such as the European Union, the G7 and even NATO, although it lacks formal structures, enforcement mechanisms and unified rules and standards.

For Turkey, which has been a Western ally and NATO member since 1952, the move to join the BRICS “is in line with its broader geopolitical journey: to position itself as an independent actor in a multipolar world, even to become its own “Yes,” George Dyson, senior analyst at Control Risks, told CNBC.

Dyson added: “This is not to say that Turkey is turning away from the West completely, but that Turkey wants to establish as many trade relations as possible and pursue opportunities unilaterally without the constraints of Western alliances. This is absolutely symbolic. Exactly Proof of this – it is not limited by good relations with the West.

Türkiye’s rejection of EU membership, despite decades of alliances with Europe and the United States, has long been a sore point for Ankara.

Ambassador Matthew Bleiza, a former senior White House and State Department official currently based in Istanbul, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government “seem to be primarily driven by two factors: ensuring national interests.” strategic tradition…and a desire to frighten the West, both out of emotional resentment and as a negotiating tactic to force concessions from the West.

CNBC has contacted Türkiye’s presidential office for comment.

Turkey has expanded its role in global diplomacy over the past few years, such as brokering prisoner exchange deals and leading other negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, while also repairing ties with regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and, more recently, tensions.

Ankara has also refused to participate in sanctions against Russia – a stance that has angered its Western allies but helps it maintain its independent status as a so-called “middle power” and believes it benefits its relations with China and the global South.

To this end, Arda Tonka, a Turkish independent economist and consultant, said, “Any new BRICS member will obviously be eager to take advantage of the stronger ‘solidarity’ of emerging economies to reduce its influence on developed economies (mainly the United States). dependence.

Tonka noted, however, that Turkey’s unique position in the world was a “delicate point of discussion” because despite the country’s alliance with the West, it had “serious political problems with the EU and the United States.”

Tunka said that Türkiye’s ruling party has been in power for 22 years and “is ideologically closer to the East than the West.” “Turkey wants to get on the BRICS train before it is delayed. It is too early to say that the BRICS can become an alternative to the West, but the intention is clearly to confront the West under the leadership of China.”

Importantly, as part of the BRICS, its members can transact in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. This move aims to reduce dependence on the US-dominated system and usher in a more multipolar world. The fact that it is led by China has alarmed some in the West, who see it as a potential victory for Beijing.

“I don’t think they have any enforcement action [BRICS’] “This is more of a geopolitical issue, a symbolic counterattack against the G7,” Dyson said. “What’s interesting is that both Iran and the UAE are involved. It’s a bit like an anti-Western team,” he said.

Erdogan has expressed a desire to join the BRICS since at least 2018, but the issue has never been formalized. In June, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited China and Russia, the latter participating in the BRICS+ summit, during which Russian President Vladimir Putin said he “welcomed” Turkey’s interest in joining the group. .

At the time, then-U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake said in an interview that he hoped Turkey would not join the organization, but added that he did not think it would have a negative impact on Turkey’s alliance with the West.