Turkey applies to join BRICS

"Our president has repeatedly said that we want to become a member of BRICS. The process is ongoing," said Ömer Çelik, spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP).

"If there is a concrete development regarding our BRICS membership, a decision or an assessment by the BRICS, we will share it with you," Çelik told a press conference.

"Turkey wants to participate in all important platforms, including BRICS," Çelik added.

The bloc was established with four members in 2009, with South Africa joining in 2010, and has since expanded to include several other countries, including Egypt and Iran.

"We don't see the BRICS as an alternative to any other structure," President Erdogan, whose country is still officially a candidate for European Union membership, said in July. | BGNES