At the annual BRICS summit held in Russia on 22-24 October this year, Türkiye made an official application to join the BRICS countries. However, the summit did not end with Turkey becoming a new member of the international bloc.

ReportedlyIndia objected to Turkey’s offer. However, almost every BRICS member state has reasons not to trust Ankara, which now feels isolated as it has moved away from its traditional allies in the West.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan believes that Turkey is a global power and should be recognized as such. He announced his intention to establish Turkey a superpower. talked about the world is bigger than fiveA veiled reference to both the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Turkey’s global role. Erdogan also announced that Turkey will also become a country. Logistics superpower by 2053It is a suitable year as it is the 130th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye.

So in January 2024, when Ankara saw Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the UAE becoming members of BRICS, there was no way Ankara would not seek membership and thought this would be a way to advance its international standing. Erdoğan has been seeking membership for a long time Even before the BRICS enlargement.

However, unlike other BRICS members, Türkiye is in NATO and the European Council and remains a candidate for EU accession. So Türkiye is part of the defense and diplomatic architecture of the West and has been for generations.

The quest for BRICS membership is another example of Ankara moving away from its traditional allies in order to achieve a greater international standing. In fact, Turkey’s policies have disrupted the security of the West. Examples of this are many, but a few will serve to illustrate the point.

Turkey’s lax attitude towards its border between 2012-2014 Thousands of jihadists allowed to enter Syria During the period when the so-called Islamic State was on the rise. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist atrocities on European soil. November 2015 Paris attacks Killed 130 people by 2017 Bomb attack on Manchester Arena He killed 22 people. Instead of making NATO countries safer, Türkiye did the opposite; allowed a militant jihadist force to gain power right on his doorstep.

Worse still, Ankara’s subsequent interventions in Syria pitted Turkish forces against those of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units. The front line against the Islamic State. Erdogan didn’t even care Threatened to attack US forces in Syria People who helped Kurdish forces fight the Islamic State.

Türkiye also helped Iran evade sanctions He avoided participating in international sanctions against Russia through a state-owned bank. This was just before the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and relieved some of the pressure Tehran faced to be flexible in the negotiation process.

In fact, Ankara delayed the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO for more than 18 months and Refused to impose international sanctions on Russia Worse still, Turkey even purchased Russian S-400 surface-to-air missiles, despite Washington’s repeated attempts to change Ankara’s mind on the grounds that Russia’s missile defense system could compromise the security of NATO hardware. As a result, Türkiye in 2019 excluded From the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

However, playing the East against the West to gain credibility did little for Ankara’s great power ambitions. Of course, Türkiye has received praise from Iran and South Africa for its open support of Hamas. to join Pretoria’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. However, better relations with these two countries are related to the extent of Turkey’s influence. Türkiye is now viewed with distrust and suspicion not only by Western countries but also by many BRICS members.

For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin not very happy With Erdogan’s repeated statements that all Ukrainian lands should be returned. There is Moscow He also expressed his objection to talk about a potential deal involving Türkiye keeps unused S-400s in NATO bases Thus, Ankara will be able to purchase those coveted F-35s.

China also does not trust Turkey. Despite Erdogan holding your tongue Beijing and Ankara regarding the persecution of the Uyghur Turkish people, At each other’s throats at the WTOwith tariffs and accusations are leveled at each other.

Despite attempts at rapprochement, marked by the meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Erdogan in Ankara last September, relations with Egypt remain tense. Erdogan gave permission to Turkey playing host To the Muslim Brotherhood, who are Sisi’s open enemies, and to those who are openly labeled as Sisi a bully. There was also Ankara opposing party To Cairo in the war in Libya. It’ll take more than smiles and handshakes improve relationships. The same goes for the UAE clashed with Türkiye For more than a decade, due to territorial and ideological disagreements.

Finally, we come to India and India’s reluctance towards Turkey’s entry into BRICS. Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have noticed that Erdogan did not raise the Kashmir issue His speech to the UN General Assembly last September; But he certainly remembers that Erdogan, the leader of the world’s largest democracy, has done this before. sided with Pakistan He has been talking about Kashmir in every UN speech he has made since 2019, when India stripped the disputed region of its special status. Modi is also very aware of what Turkey is. Strong military ties with Islamabad.

Turkey’s foreign policy under Erdoğan was a quest for recognition as a global power; However, Ankara managed to create greater distrust and suspicion against itself. If Türkiye continues on this course and moves in the opposite direction from its traditional allies, Western countries should urgently re-evaluate Ankara’s role in their strategic frameworks.

The views expressed in this Commentary are those of the author and do not represent the views of RUSI or any other organisation.

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