ANKARA, October 22. /TASS/. The BRICS group’s summit in the Russian city of Kazan is a turning point for Turkey in terms of its economic development and external trade relations, Necmettin Batirel, columnist of the Turkiye newspaper, said.

According to him, joining BRICS would not mean that Ankara "has lost all hope to join the EU," but this "would be an important lesson to Europe, which has for years been reluctant to open its doors to Turkey." The expert pointed out that "the timing is right to join BRICS." The European economy "has suffered a lot from the war in Ukraine;" "Germany is slipping into a recession, and growth rates are very low in the eurozone," he said. Batirel also noted that plants were being shut down in Europe, and the number of unemployed people stood at 11 mln.

That said, the Asia-Pacific region is rapidly recovering and a new economic order is being formed, into which Turkey seeks to fit, the columnist said. Meanwhile, since BRICS is a specific economic group, Ankara has a chance to join it without going through a complicated institutionalization process but gaining the right to vote when decisions are made and rules of operation are determined, the analyst said.

Batirel emphasized that the BRICS summit in Kazan was "a turning point for Turkey." This is particularly important at a time when "the Turkish economy is employing the export-led growth model due to high key rates." Joining BRICS as a full-fledged member will provide Turkey with access to new markets, as well as with new investment opportunities.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will arrive in Kazan on October 23. He plans to hold a number of bilateral meetings, including talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, Ankara expressed an interest in joining BRICS, highlighting the group’s trade and economic attractiveness.