Turkey has formally asked to join the BRICS

According to a report on the website of Newsweek on September 2, Turkey will become the first NATO member to ask to join the BRICS.

As Ankara looks belomat said the move was driven by Ankara's "accumulated frustration" with the West and the European Union. "This is not a strategy to replace the West, but rather a strategy by Ankara to strengthen its relations with non-Western powers at a time when U.S. hegemony is waning," said Sinan Juergen, head of the Istanbul-based EDAM think tank. 

The BRICS is considered an important alternative to the US-led Group of Seven on the global stage. Citing anonymous sources, Bloomberg reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government believes the "geopolitical center of gravity" is moving away from the most advanced economies.

The move also shows Ankara's aim to "cultivate relations with all parties in a multipolar world" while still fulfilling its obligations as a key NATO member. 

Ankara submitted its application to join the BRICS several months ago, when it was frustrated that its efforts to join the European Union, which Turkey has sought for decades, were blocked. "One driving factor is the desire for greater strategic autonomy," Juergen said, according to the report. "

The second driver is the building up of frustration with the West and the EU," including frustration over stalled negotiations on a customs union agreement with the EU. "

There are also problems in the bilateral relationship with the United States," Juergen said. He added: "This disappointment has prompted the Turkish government to move in this direction." Ankara believes it can do so "without paying a political price for this realignment."