BRICS offered partner status to Turkey, says Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat

Turkey considers BRICS partnership as an economic opportunity, not a replacement for NATO, as it weighs membership options.

Turkey was offered partner country status by the BRICS group of nations, Trade Minister Omer Bolat said, as Ankara continues what it calls its efforts to balance its Eastern and Western ties.

Turkey, a NATO member, has in recent months voiced interest in joining the BRICS group of emerging economies, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attended a BRICS leaders' summit hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan last month, after Ankara said it had taken formal steps to become a member of the group.

"As for Turkey's status regarding (BRICS) membership, they offered Turkey the status of partner membership," Bolat said in an interview with private broadcaster TVNet on Wednesday (November 13, 2024).

"This [status] is the transition process in the organisational structure of BRICS," he said.

Ankara sees the BRICS group as an opportunity to further economic cooperation with member states, rather than an alternative to its Western ties and N.A.T.O. membership, Mr. Erdogan has said.

Turkish officials have repeatedly said potential membership of BRICS would not affect Turkey's responsibilities to the Western military alliance.