FX.co ★ Turkey wants to join BRICS

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan aspires to make his country a member of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). He called on the leaders of the five-country block to let Turkey join the group during a press conference at the group's summit held in South Africa.

According to Erdogan, the suggestion was warmly welcomed by the member states, bringing hope for a quick and positive resolution of the issue. The Turkish president noted that in the future the name of the group could be changed into BRICST.

“We are in the G20 with five of those countries. I wish they would take the necessary steps to let us in and we could take our place in BRICS,” the Turkish leader stated.

At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin's statements made earlier cast doubt on whether Erdogan's desire will be satisfied. There are no plans to expand BRICS membership, since the existing formats have proven effective, Putin said. He also added that many countries express interest in joining the group.

“Any questions regarding BRICS enlargement in future would definitely need additional thorough discussions and final consideration,” the Russian leader noted.