The fact that Turkey, a NATO member state, wants to join NATO's “pole opposite” (BRICs) makes many people raise eyebrows, says Thomas Thoren, SVT's Turkey correspondent, in his analysis.
Joining both alliances does not violate NATO rules, but many believe Türkiye's membership in BRICS would signal that Ankara is not loyal to NATO.
– But according to Erdogan, it is perfectly fine to be part of both BRICS and NATO. Turin says Türkiye's strategy is to stand with one foot in each camp and gain advantages.
In Foreign Policy, Jorge Heine wrote that President Erdogan had an unusual amount of disagreements with his allies in the West. He points to the obstruction of Sweden's membership in NATO and Türkiye's clear position against Israel in the Middle East conflict.
At the same time, Türkiye has shown that the country is in a unique and extremely important position to negotiate between the West and the Global South.
“By applying for BRICS membership, Turkey is signaling that the West cannot take this role for granted,” he wrote.
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