About Turkey's bid for BRICS membership: UPSC Current Affairs

TURKEY’S ACCESSION BID TO BRICS

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Context:

Turkey officially applied to join the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa).

What Motivated Turkey to Join BRICS?

Turkey's application for membership to the European Union (EU) has been put on hold since 2018 due to concerns regarding media freedom, judicial independence, and other democratic principles.
- - Turkey's desire to join BRICS can be interpreted as a strategic shift to explore new diplomatic relationships.
By joining BRICS, Turkey desires to expand its diplomatic ties and increase its influence. This decision matches Turkey’s overall policy of balancing its relationships between the West and non-Western nations.
BRICS nations cooperate on trade and economic progress.
- - Due to its developing economy and strategic location, Turkey can benefit from increasing investment and trade opportunities through BRICS.

About Turkey

● It is located in West Asia, with a smaller portion in Southeast Europe.

●It shares boundaries with the:

- - Black Sea to the North
  - Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the East
  - Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean Sea to the South
  - Aegean Sea, Greece, and Bulgaria to the West.

●The majority of the population are ethnic Turks and Kurds form the country's largest ethnic minority.

●Ankara is Turkey's capital and second-biggest city, and Istanbul is the largest city.

●Mount Ararat is the highest point in Turkey.

●Lake Van is the country's largest lake.

●The Euphrates, Tigris, and Aras rivers all originate in eastern Turkey.

●Turkey has 3 of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots; Mediterranean, Irano-Anatolian, and Caucasus hotspots.

Potential Impact of Turkey's Decision to Join BRICS

Economic Impact
- - Turkey could expand its trade relations with China and Russia which can result in higher exports of textiles, machinery, and agricultural goods.
  - It may benefit from investments in key sectors such as energy, transportation, and technology to modernise its infrastructure and boost economic growth.
  - It can minimise its economic reliance on Western countries by creating a buffer against economic sanctions and political pressures.
Strategic Impact
- - Turkey's stronger connections with Russia and China may raise tensions within NATO.
  - North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has 32 members including Turkey.
  - Partnering with the BRICS might complicate and potentially hinder EU membership talks.
  - Turkey's unique location between Europe and Asia may increase its influence in both regions.

Impact on Turkey and EU Relations

Turkey is negotiating to enter the European Union (EU) as a member state.
- - It was a Western European Union associate member from 1992 to 2011.
  - Negotiations for full membership began in October 2005, but progress was slow.
  - The negotiations have paused since 2016 due to EU accusations of human rights violations and rule-of-law deficits.
  - A European parliament committee suspended the negotiations talks in 2019.
EU expects candidate countries to support EU values, foreign policy, and security commitments.
- - Turkey has refused to join Western countries in placing sanctions on Russia for its activities in Ukraine.
  - Turkey's failure to comply with EU sanctions against Russia has deteriorated its relationship with the EU.
Turkey's official application to join the BRICS could be seen as a departure from the EU membership.
Turkey's bid to join BRICS could further decrease trust from Western countries, making EU membership more difficult.

What Turkey can do?

●Turkey needs to find a balance between its BRICS connections and its commitments to NATO and the European Union.

●Turkey can introduce economic reforms to maximise the benefits of BRICS membership.

●The Turkish administration needs to manage public opinion of the action and establish clear and effective communication between other groups such as NATO and the EU.

About BRICS

BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is a group of emerging economies.
The term BRICS was first used in 2001 by Goldman Sachs' Chief Economist to forecast global economic developments.
It was founded in 2006 during the G7 Outreach Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.
- - It was formally established during the 1st BRIC Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New York, USA.
  - South Africa joined the forum in December 2010 resulting in the foundation of BRICS.
  - Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates joined the group in January 2024.
BRICS headquarters is in Shanghai, China.
The BRICS countries account for:
- - 30% of the world's land surface
  - 45% of the global population
  - 28% of the global economy
South Africa has the largest economy in Africa.
Brazil, Russia, India, and China are among the world's ten largest countries by population, area, nominal GDP (GDP) and purchasing power parity.
Fortaleza Declaration: The BRICS leaders formed the New Development Bank (NDB) during the 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil (2014)
- - NDB aims to fund infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging and developing economies.
  - The NDB's headquarters is in Shanghai.

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Source:

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Consider the following statements in the context of BRICS Countries:

1. They have created a common currency to promote trade and investment.

2. They founded the New Development Bank (NDB) to provide loans and investments to developing countries.

3. They formed a military alliance to defend their economic interests.

How many of the above statements are incorrect?

A) Only one

B) Only two

C) All three

D) None

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect:

There have been debates and proposals to create a common BRICS currency to minimise dependence on the US dollar, but no such currency has been established yet.

Statement 2 is correct:

In 2014, the BRICS countries established the New Development Bank (NDB) to promote infrastructure and sustainable development initiatives in developing countries.

Statement 3 is incorrect:

BRICS serves as an economic and political association that aims to strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, and development. It is not a military alliance, and there are no clear military cooperation agreements.