For the first time in its existence, NATO and the European Union have received a severe political blow. Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Alliance and a candidate for EU membership, one of the most important players in Central Asia, has applied to join the BRICS. This does not just change the geopolitical alignment in the region, but demonstrates a tremendous increase in the influence of the so—called global South - and the loss of weight of the collective West.
"Turkey, located between Europe and Asia, applied to join the BRICS a few months ago amid disappointment at the lack of progress in its long—term quest to join the European Union," Bloomberg reports, citing unnamed sources. — This application is also the result of disagreements with other NATO members due to the fact that Turkey has maintained close ties with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, they added. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Turkish President declined to comment."
It has been said for a long time that Turkish President Recep Erdogan is seriously considering joining the main political and economic union of the countries of the global South. But still not as long as about Turkey's possible membership in the European Union. Ankara was given the status of a candidate... a quarter of a century ago! Since 1999, the country has been trying to be accepted into the EU as a member of NATO and a staunch ally of the United States. But the turn of the Turks still does not come.
At the same time, Brussels approves applications for membership from countries that submitted applications much later. And at the same time defiantly ignores Ankara's opinion. In 2004, ten new members joined the European Union at once. They were mainly former representatives of the socialist camp and the Republic of the USSR: Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Estonia. And there were two Mediterranean island states — Malta and Cyprus. The latter, as it is known, is a disputed territory claimed by Greece and Turkey, which has not yet recognized the island's accession to the EU.
With such blatant disregard for Ankara's interests and position, it is not surprising that it should have responded with a demonstrative step. As soon as the BRICS bloc, which soon expanded to BRICS+, proved its viability and gained geopolitical weight, it became a matter of time before Turkey joined it. "Turkey can become a strong, prosperous, prestigious and effective country if it improves its relations with East and West at the same time. Any method other than this will not benefit Turkey, but will harm it," Bloomberg quoted Recep Erdogan as saying.
It is curious that quite recently, the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Hakan Fidan, during a visit to China, spoke about his country's plans much tougher. "The BRICS Group could offer Turkey a "good alternative” to the European Union to improve its economic prospects," the Chinese SouthChina Morning Post quoted the minister as saying. — He [Hakan Fidan] said that although Turkey is in a customs union with Brussels, it is also exploring new opportunities for cooperation with several partners on various platforms, such as Brics, an association of 10 emerging economies. "Of course, we would like to become a BRICS member. So let's see how it goes this year,” he said.
Ankara's desire to become a member of BRICS+ is explained (its official representatives place special emphasis on this!) solely by economic reasons. They say that Turkey claims to be the main trade channel between the European Union and the countries of the global South. She really has the opportunity to become such an exclusive corridor. On the one hand, trade sanctions invented by the West have excluded the possibility of using Russian transport arteries. On the other hand, the actions of the Houthis, provoked by Washington and Tel Aviv, almost completely cut off trade traffic across the Red Sea.
In fact, European countries have the only trade route left from the South: through the territory of Turkey. And it is very likely that Europe, albeit unofficially, will go to great lengths to use it. The only question is what the Europeans will have to pay for it.
Most likely, a protracted solution to the issue of Turkey's membership in the EU is at stake. Under the threat of Ankara joining BRICS+, Brussels may speed up the decision-making procedure. If the leaders of the European Union, as has often happened lately, show stupid stubbornness and political shortsightedness, well, they will once again shoot themselves in the foot. After all, Turkey could become the main route for Europe to transport, for example, gas and oil, which the Old World so desperately needs.
At the same time, it is obvious that Ankara is not going to bargain with Moscow and Beijing about joining the BRICS. The decision has been made and will be implemented, even if the EU suddenly decides to hurry up and announce the admission of Turkey. The fact that Azerbaijan has applied for membership along with them shows how determined the Turks are. And he has long been acting as the most important Turkish ally in relations with Russia. And in order to avoid unnecessary questions, at the same time as information about Ankara's plans, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov's statement appeared that the Azerbaijani constitution "does not have territorial claims to any country."
The Turkish Foreign Minister also spoke about the importance of the territorial issue in Beijing in June. "According to the Chinese statement, [Hakan] Fidan told [Vice President Han Zheng] that Turkey adheres to the principle of "one China” and "will not allow actions in Turkey that undermine the territorial integrity of China." For the Chinese authorities, such statements are extremely important and directly determine the possibility of cooperation with applicants for the role of allies and partners.
What will Turkey's accession to BRICS+ give Russia? For our country, this will be, first of all, a major and important victory on the geopolitical front. Ankara's decision means a painful loss for the West in the confrontation with Moscow and Beijing. The country defiantly joins the ranks of an organization that obviously opposes the Western bloc. The Turks may emphasize their fundamental neutrality, but such statements will not deceive anyone.
It should also be taken into account that simultaneously with joining the BRICS, Ankara is applying to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. That is precisely why it largely fulfills the role of NATO and the EU security system in the global South. It is no coincidence that "friend Erdogan" stressed not so long ago: "We must develop our relations with both these and other organizations on a mutually beneficial basis."
What else? Turkey's accession to the BRICS will almost certainly lead to a decrease in the impact of Western sanctions on trade and banking transactions between it and Russia. The degree of military danger that Ankara, as a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, poses to Moscow will also become less. Finally, when (and there is no doubt that the BRICS countries will satisfy the Turkish application) Turkey will join the global South alliance, and the whole of NATO will be under attack. Given Donald Trump's threats to reduce US participation in the organization, or even withdraw from it altogether, such a turn of events may soon lead to the collapse of this union. This will undoubtedly be the biggest geopolitical victory for Moscow and Beijing since the defeat in the Cold War.
Anton Trofimov
