EU Membership Negotiations Stopped, Turkey Lirik BRICS And ASEAN

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. (Wikimedia Commons/Downing Street 10/Simon Dawson)

JAKARTA - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday, Ankara was working to diversify its choice regarding the global alliance, which led to long-term ambitions to become a member of the European Union.

Amid the growing rumors of Turkey wanting to join the BRICS alliance, Foreign Minister Fidan said the interest would not have existed had Turkey become a member state of the European Union.

"Turkey acted on good intentions in connection with its ambition to become a full EU member," since submitting a request to join the bloc in 1987, Foreign Minister Fidan said, but then negotiations stalled, reported by Euro News September 19.

"If our economic integration with the European Union has been crowned with membership, which is now (only) at the Palean Union level, maybe we will not carry out such a search," Foreign Minister Fidan told Anadolu on Thursday.

Now, Ankara is considering other options, such as BRICS and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"We are not only targeting BRICS, but also ASEAN, which we also want to invite to work together," continued the top Turkish diplomat, quoted by TASS.

According to him, Turkey is also at the center of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and Islamic associations, including the Eight Developing Countries Organization (D-8) for Economic Cooperation.

"Looking at these associations from a scaled point of view and their market potential, it will be easier to act in cooperating with them when the need for greater integration emerges," he said.

By declaring "each country must form an alliance of economic, security and politics," the top Turkish diplomat pointed to what he called "the practice of the ancient Turkish state", which also includes "very strong traditions in forming alliances".

"We see the power matrix continues to develop, especially in today's world where there are around 200 countries," added Fidan.

"No country has the opportunity to deal with the crisis in the world without forming an alliance, namely, without paying a very expensive price," he added.

BRICS said its goal was to strengthen the voices of key developing economies to balance the global order led by the West.

Founded in 2006, the BRICS covered Russia, Brazil, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2010. Recently, the BRICS expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. Currently, Russia holds the BRICS-circular presidency.

This year, the BRICS summit will be held in Kazan, Russia in October. Representatives of Turkey are expected to attend.

On the other hand, the West often sees BRICS as a possible NATO deterrent (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), which Turkey is one of its members.