Can Türkiye help bridge the East-West gap by joining BRICS?

In a notable diplomatic shift, Türkiye is signalling to its Western allies that it will not be taken for granted.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently attended the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, appearing as a distinguished guest and underscoring Ankara’s interest in joining the bloc.

This move, part of a broader foreign policy shift, comes as Türkiye’s governing AK Party confirms that “a process is underway” for potential BRICS membership.

Türkiye’s interest in BRICS comes on the heels of the group’s recent expansion, which added Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE in January. Saudi Arabia still remains in talks about joining the group.

BRICS, initially formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has grown both in membership and influence, positioning itself as a counterbalance and an alternative to Western-led institutions and systems.

“Türkiye’s intention to join BRICS, which includes other regional players like Saudi Arabia and Iran, has drawn significant attention,” notes Prof. Özden Zeynep Oktav, a political scientist at Medeniyet University in Istanbul.

Türkiye’s NATO membership and its invitation to President Putin to visit Türkiye have generated considerable interest, especially in the foreign media, she tells TRT World.

“Putin’s position against being marginalised by the Western world, coupled with these two factors, has had a substantial impact, particularly in the foreign press,” she said.

Eye on alignment

Türkiye’s bid to join BRICS represents a significant geopolitical pivot, as it would become the first NATO member and European Union applicant in an organisation some see as a counterweight to Western influence.

Türkiye’s interest in BRICS also highlights an emerging trend in the Global South for strategic nonalignment—a policy Türkiye has increasingly embraced in recent years as it balances relationships between East and West.

Erdogan's pivot to BRICS is not merely symbolic. It reflects a broader strategy for a new order in which Türkiye sees a historic shift away from traditional Western dominance and values towards a multipolar world.

“Though BRICS is primarily an economic alliance, it challenges the Western-dominated system,” Oktav told TRT World. “This challenge has only intensified since October 7th, as the West’s disregard for certain values and principles has deepened Türkiye’s estrangement.”

Israel has killed more than 43,000 people, most of them women and children in Gaza. Ankara has led efforts to highlight the fallout of Israeli aggression on multiple international forums.

Assoc. Prof. Suay Nilhan Acikalin, a visiting fellow at Hungary’s Mathias Corvinus Collegium, observed that Türkiye’s role within BRICS, while still developing, will likely deepen.

“Several BRICS members also express interest in Türkiye joining. Cooperation in areas like trade, energy, and transportation will likely expand, where Türkiye’s unique geopolitical position offers distinct advantages,” she remarked.

A mediator in a multipolar world

Erdogan has clarified that BRICS membership would not signal Türkiye's departure from NATO. Instead, it would expand Ankara’s strategic options. “Türkiye stresses that neither the EU nor the US should be underestimated; BRICS membership would only enhance Türkiye’s leverage,” Oktav explained.

BRICS has been building its economic influence, with intra-BRICS trade growing from 18 percent to 40 percent of global trade between 2002 and 2022.

The bloc’s New Development Bank, based in Shanghai and headed by former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, has funded nearly 100 projects totaling $33 billion in member countries.

The BRICS alliance is also exploring a new payment system to reduce reliance on the Europe-based international payment settlement system, SWIFT, in a bid to circumvent Western sanctions while also reducing reliance on the US dollar.

Erdogan says that joining BRICS is a way to diversify Türkiye’s foreign policy.

“Our growing relationship with BRICS does not replace commitments to NATO or the EU,” he stated, adding that Türkiye’s policy focus remains on securing a place in the evolving global order.

In the European media, Erdogan’s foreign policy is often described as drawing from Türkiye’s Ottoman heritage and nationalist aspirations, with a belief that Western influence is on the decline. However, this shift to BRICS is more pragmatically rooted in advancing Türkiye’s own national interests.

“Türkiye is not turning away from either the West or the East,” Erdogan stressed, “The backbone of our foreign policy focuses on Türkiye,” he affirmed, clarifying that the country does not “turn (its) back on the West or the East, and we’re not switching sides.”