NEW YORK, July 11. /TASS/. Although Turkey is a member of NATO, it does not view cooperation with the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS as a conflict of interest, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Newsweek.
"As a member of NATO, we do not consider interaction with the SCO, BRICS, the European Union or the Organization of Turkic States to be a problem," he said. According to him, "these relations contribute to global peace."
The Turkish leader added that his country finds itself "in a unique position," balancing its commitments between these organizations. "We maintain and strengthen our position as a reliable partner in all the institutions we belong to," Erdogan said.
Earlier, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming said that Turkey, even despite its NATO membership, actively participates in the organization's activities, which are not aimed against other states. According to Zhang Ming, the interaction with the Turkish side is based on the principles set out in the charter of the organization, in accordance with the Shanghai spirit. In addition, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in June that Turkey was interested in BRICS and considered it an important platform for cooperation that has great prospects and offers an alternative path to countries.