Erdogan to attend BRICS summit in Russia: media

ISTANBUL, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the BRICS summit scheduled to be held in the Russian city of Kazan in October, Habertürk daily reported on Wednesday, citing presidential sources.
The report followed a statement by Russian presidential aide on foreign policy Yury Ushakov, who said, “Türkiye has applied for full membership. We will review the application.”
On Tuesday, Omer Celik, the spokesperson for Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party, said that Türkiye’s request to join BRICS is clear, and the process is ongoing. “If there are any concrete developments, they will be shared,” Celik added.
BRICS is the acronym for an emerging-market cooperative mechanism that initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. In January, the mechanism expanded its membership to include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Ethiopia. ■