The Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Ankara on Monday, marking the third anniversary of the start of the war between Ukraine and Russia.
After their meeting, Lavrov and Fidan held a joint press conference where they discussed various cooperation issues, particularly trade, energy, and tourism between the two countries.
Hakan Fidan claimed that negotiations regarding Turkey's membership in the European Union (EU) have "de facto ceased" due to an "Islamophobic" approach, stating: "We have a long-standing cooperation with the European Union, which is nearby and highly institutionalized. However, in recent years, this has not been openly discussed; the membership negotiations were frozen at some point because the European Union finds it uncomfortable to accept a large Muslim country due to its identity policies. No one speaks about this openly, but that is the situation."
"We were not offered membership in BRICS."
Addressing the topic of cooperation with BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), Fidan emphasized the importance of Turkey's presence on various platforms to strengthen its position in the global economy.
Stating that balanced trade relations with Europe are maintained, Fidan also mentioned that Turkey has not been offered membership in BRICS, which was established under Russia's leadership.
Fidan said: "We are closely monitoring BRICS. We have clearly shown our interest, but as far as we understand, BRICS has frozen the acceptance of new members in order to complete its own institutionalization. We were not offered membership. Therefore, at this time, we continue to carefully observe the developments," he noted.
BRICS, an intergovernmental organization, is often viewed by the West as a community opposing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of which Turkey is a member.
Comparing BRICS to the EU, Fidan stated: "Unlike the European Union, BRICS is very inclusive. We see countries of all skin colors, religions, cultures, and civilizations coming together... Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Black, White... Whatever people and civilizations exist, they are trying to create a platform here. I hope there will also be an institutional and inclusive economic approach developed here."
"If Turkey were accepted as a full member of the European Union, it would not be seeking membership in BRICS," declared Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in a live broadcast in September, accusing Europe of pushing the country towards BRICS.