Russia welcomes Turkey's stated desire to become part of the BRICS group, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday, indicating that this issue will be on the agenda of the organization's next summit, reports Reuters and News.bg.
Peskov noted that interest in BRICS - a group comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, which was additionally joined by Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates - had been expressed by various countries, but stressed that it is unlikely that the group will be able to satisfy all interested parties.
On Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan began a visit to Beijing, the highest-level visit by a Turkish official to BRICS member country China since 2012. Fidan held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and other officials persons during the visit.
Asked if Turkey would like to join the BRICS during a talk at the Center for China and Globalization on Monday, Fidan said: "Of course we would, why not?". However, he did not give further details.
Turkey's state news agency, Anadolu Agency, quoted Fidan as saying Ankara was also seeking cooperation with BRICS members and would participate in a planned meeting of the group next week in Russia.
It is unclear whether Ankara will take steps to join BRICS, as it has so far expressed no desire to formally join. NATO member Turkey has been criticized by its Western allies in recent years for its ties to Russia, with some arguing that its "axis" withdraws from the Western military alliance. Ankara rejects these accusations, saying it remains a committed member of NATO and maintains its goal of full membership in the European Union.
BRICS is an international organization made up of five major economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. These countries are coming together to strengthen cooperation with each other and to present an alternative to Western economic blocs such as the G-7. In recent years, the group has attracted increasing interest from other countries that also wish to join.
Saudi Arabia is still considering an invitation to become a member of the BRICS bloc of nations after being invited to join by the group last year.
In August last year, the group invited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iran, Argentina and Ethiopia to join from January 1, although Argentina signaled it would not accept the invitation in November.