ANKARA, September 23. /TASS/. Turkey's interest in BRICS has economic considerations, but purely political motives are also strong, Bartu Soral, one of the country’s leading economists, said in an interview with TASS.
"The decline of the West's dominance in the international system brings BRICS to a leading position in production and export. In this context, Turkey values its relations with the Turkic countries and with Russia, which is active in the region. There are many points of contact here. Nevertheless, I think that the interest in BRICS declared by the Turkish government is an attempt to gain a trump card against the West and has political motives," he believes.
The expert noted that when looking at "the global distribution of power, it is clear that huge changes have occurred since the early 2000s. The G7 countries used to dominate, while today, for example, the EU and Japan have lost power."
"On the contrary, the BRICS countries are leaders in global exports and production. China has acquired significant production and technological power, including thanks to its excellent education system. Russia is strong in the defense industry. Brazil ranks second in the world in food exports. The Anglo-Saxons, who dominated in the 1990s, are losing ground," Soral noted.
Touching upon Turkey's political motives, the economist noted that BRICS is an economic association that needs to be approached in this spirit.
"We need a national program, a roadmap for interaction with BRICS, a production program in various industries in the context of the BRICS economy. Personally, I do not see such plans from the government and I think that Turkey's application does not have a serious economic basis," the economist believes.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Ankara was assessing its participation in BRICS from the point of view of economic cooperation opportunities, but said that "the association itself is currently searching for an identity, options for institutionalization" and therefore it is difficult to say to what point the republic's interaction with BRICS may reach. Nevertheless, Fidan noted that "if Turkey's integration with the EU had ended with full membership in the union, then perhaps Turkey would not be looking for other options on many issues.".