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- Turkey requests to join BRICS in bid to boost influence
Turkey requests to join BRICS in bid to boost influence
Economic cooperation league added four members in 2023: Iran, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Egypt
Turkey has officially requested to join the BRICS group, according to a report Monday in Bloomberg, seeking to become the 10th member of the economic alliance.
Originally made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the league formed in 2009 and aims to boost economic cooperation between the countries. These countries are some of the most prominent emerging economies in recent decades. Ethiopia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran joined in 2023.
Turkey's bid comes after years of trying to join the European Union. Sources speaking to Bloomberg said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration sees the economic epicenter of the globe shifting away from the West.
"Turkey can become a strong, prosperous, prestigious and effective country if it improves its relations with the East and the West simultaneously," Erdogan said. "Any method other than this will not benefit Turkey, but will harm it."