Erdogan to Attend BRICS Summit as Turkiye Continues Steady March Away From West
Turkiye’s future lies with the group of nations seeking to create an alternative to Western hegemony via the BRICS economic bloc, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan knows it.
“President Erdogan has confirmed his participation in the 16th BRICS summit’s outreach/BRICS+ session,” announced Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov during a press conference Thursday.
“The Ukraine conflict is going to be one of the issues that will be discussed, particularly at the high level, when we welcome the Turkish leader to Kazan,” Ryabkov added; Turkiye has approached the ongoing Western proxy war with more caution than other NATO members, previously playing host to peace negotiations in 2022.
Turkiye has often maintained a fraught relationship with its Western allies, Tremblay noted. The Eurasian country has been recognized as a candidate for full membership in the European Union since 1999, but its efforts to join the body have stalled in the decades since.
A majority Muslim country, Turkiye maintains a culture distinct from that of historically Christian Europe – Turkiye’s influence in the Islamic world has grown in recent months as President Erdogan has become a strong proponent of the Palestinian cause.