Kremlin claims Turkey is seeking to join BRICS

(Patria) - NATO member Turkey has applied for membership in BRICS, a senior Kremlin official said on Wednesday, AP reported.

Yuri Ushakov, an aide to President Vladimir Putin for foreign affairs, told reporters that Turkey had applied for "full membership" in the bloc, which Russia chairs this year, and that it would be considered.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly stated that his country aims to become a member of the BRICS alliance, said Omer Celik, a spokesperson for Erdogan's ruling party. But Celik stopped short this week of claiming that Turkey had formally applied.

BRICS was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2010. It has recently undergone expansion and now includes Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has said it is considering joining, and Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied.

BRICS aims to amplify the voice of major emerging economies to counterbalance the Western-led global order. Its founders have called for a more equitable world order and reform of international institutions such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.

Erdogan, who has been in power for more than two decades, has sought to craft a more independent foreign policy for Turkey and enhance its global influence. The country is also frustrated by the lack of progress in its membership talks with the European Union.

Erdogan said last week that Turkey should develop relations with both the East and the West "simultaneously." Turkey, which straddles Europe and Asia, joined the NATO military alliance in 1952. It began accession talks with the European Union in 2005, but negotiations have stalled due to concerns over democratic backsliding under Erdogan's administration and ongoing disputes with EU member Cyprus, among other challenges.

BRICS is expected to discuss the admission of new members at a meeting in Russia next month.

Putin had earlier this year welcomed Turkey's interest in the bloc and pledged that Moscow would "support this aspiration and desire to be together with the countries of this alliance, to be together, closer, to solve common problems."

On Monday, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that Turkey had expressed interest in joining BRICS.