Turkiye's bid to join BRICS good for nation and the world

Turkiye's decision to apply for the full membership of BRICS seems to have angered the United States and the European Union, which have long seen Turkiye as a NATO member and EU candidate state.

Turkiye first applied to join the EU in 1987 and was granted candidate status in 1999. Accession talks have been stalled for many years, which means the possibility of Turkiye getting EU membership in the foreseeable future is low.

A NATO member since the early 1950s, Turkiye does not see eye to eye with NATO on many key issues, from Syria and Russia to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Turkiye also used NATO clauses to prevent Sweden from getting NATO's membership.

Turkiye's independent foreign policy, especially under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is often at odds with both the EU and NATO, not to mention the US.

BRICS, on the other hand, is a totally different organization from the EU and the warmongering NATO. It is a grouping of major emerging economies including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and new members such as Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. It is about economic cooperation and development, not about dividing the world as the NATO and some EU states try to do.

The fact that BRICS member states have different political, social and economic systems, and are ideological different as well, shows that even countries with huge differences can work together and engage in win-win cooperation for the benefit of their own peoples and those in the rest of the world. BRICS is an apt example of a healthy multipolar organization.

Moreover, the decision made by Turkiye shows how countries can avoid falling into the "democracy vs autocracy" trap set by US President Joe Biden in an ugly display of hypocrisy and double standard.

Turkiye, which will be among the top 12 global economies by 2050, according to various international organizations, shares many similarities with BRICS member states which prioritize economic cooperation and development.

BRICS offers a good alternative to the West-dominated so-called rules-based system. It reflects the aspirations of developing countries that yearn for a more just global order that can make their voices heard. BRICS is not one of those global entities that was launched and are still dominated by the West.

That is also probably why the US, NATO and the EU are so upset by Turkiye's application to join BRICS. They are upset also because they believe BRICS may pose a direct threat to the existing world order, which the Western countries established without the full or equal representation of the developing world.

US Ambassador to Turkiye Jeff Flake said he hoped Ankara would not join BRICS, a message relayed from Washington. But for anyone who really cares about world peace and a just world order, Turkiye, after becoming a BRICS member, could probably play a very useful role in defusing the tensions between NATO and countries such as China and Russia.

Turkiye could also show the rest of the NATO members, as well as the EU member and candidate states, that they should not allow the US-led West to hijack any grouping of countries. A transcontinental country straddling Southeastern Europe and Western Asia, Turkiye is also in a good position to bridge the cultural and ideological gaps among countries.

It was encouraging to hear Russia, which will host the BRICS Summit in Kazan on Oct 22-24, say on Wednesday that BRICS member states will consider Turkiye's formal application for full membership at the summit to be attended by President Erdogan.

Erdogan said well last week that Turkiye should "simultaneously" develop relations with both the East and the West. That is the best way to defeat those who want to trigger a new Cold War and divide the world into different political blocs.

The author is chief of China Daily EU Bureau based in Brussels.

chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn