Türkiye will continue to engage closely with BRICS, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Tuesday following the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Last year, frustrated by a lack of progress in its EU accession, Türkiye voiced interest to be a full member in the BRICS group of emerging economies, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While the group offered Türkiye a special status called “partner country” citing a disinterest in further expansion, Ankara has yet to announce its decision regarding the BRICS proposal.
At the Brazil summit, the bloc admitted 10 other countries, including Belarus, Kazakhstan and Cuba, as partner countries.
Reflecting on Ankara’s strategic outlook and evolving role in the international system, Fidan stressed Türkiye’s interest in platforms that advocate for global reform, multilateral cooperation and regional peace.
“Türkiye is heard and sought after on many platforms thanks to its international stance. There is an international community that wants to benefit from our experiences and views,” Fidan told reporters after the two-day summit.
Fidan said the summit had been productive and featured broad discussions on correcting flaws in the global order.
“The most important of these are the efforts to correct the mistakes in the international system and to reform the international system,” he said, referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s long-standing mantra, “the world is bigger than five.”
Linking Türkiye’s reformist vision with BRICS’ goals, Fidan said: “When you say the world is bigger than five, you express the injustice and inequality here in one sentence.”
BRICS aims to amplify the voice of major emerging economies to counterbalance what it considers to be the Western-led global order. Its founding members have called for reforming international institutions like the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
Member nations represent just under half of the world’s population and around a third of the global gross domestic product. As a “platform,” it does not impose binding economic obligations on members as does the EU, at whose door Ankara has been knocking since 1999.
On climate change, Fidan reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to global action. “All the countries around the table are seriously concerned about this issue,” he stated.
“BRICS countries represent half the world’s population and 40% of the global economy. Türkiye is closely following developments on every platform and will continue to be closely interested in BRICS from this perspective,” he said.
Ukraine
Turning to the war in Ukraine, Fidan highlighted Türkiye’s active role in mediation, especially through the Istanbul Peace Talks.
“This has brought about results that have never been achieved in the four-year war so far,” he stated, referring to the exchange of prisoners and repatriation of the remains of soldiers.
Fidan said discussions are underway to determine how a cease-fire, permanent or temporary, can be achieved and whether a leaders’ summit can be held.
“We continue to advise both sides that it’s possible to meet in the middle with more creative solutions,” he added.
On the prospect of a high-level summit, Fidan said that all major leaders, including Erdoğan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump, are open in principle to meeting. “However, the Russian side wants more groundwork completed by negotiation teams first,” Fidan said.
“The Russians have stated that they are ready for the third round of talks. Now we are waiting for the response of the Ukrainian side,” he said, confirming that diplomatic traffic will continue.
Gaza crisis
Fidan went on to describe Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip as “genocidal” and argued the shift in global rhetoric was telling.
“Since the moment the genocide in Gaza reached its peak, even some actors in the international system that support Israel have prioritized keeping themselves away from Israel. Because standing together with genocidal Israel no longer shows anyone in a good light,” Fidan said.
He noted that only a handful of countries, including the United States, continue to support Israel unconditionally. “The number of countries supporting Israel right now is almost as many as the fingers of one hand in terms of rhetoric.”
Despite widespread condemnation, Fidan criticized the lack of tangible action: “The fact that no concrete result has yet emerged is exactly what we call a ‘fault’ in the system.”
Türkiye, he emphasized, has remained actively involved in cease-fire negotiations and peace diplomacy. “We conveyed our views and the suggestions of President Erdoğan to the relevant parties,” Fidan said. “Our stance has always been in favor of the cease-fire, peace, and humanitarian aid to be implemented as soon as possible.”
“Although Israel is increasingly turning this into a war and systematic genocide, we have stated that we are ready to do our best to resolve this diplomatically,” Fidan said.
Israel and Hamas began their latest round of negotiations in Qatar on Sunday, with representatives of the two sides seated in different rooms in the same building. “The discussions are still focused on the mechanisms for implementation, particularly the clauses related to withdrawal and humanitarian aid,” a Palestinian official close to the talks told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Trump on Monday voiced confidence that a deal could be reached.
“I don’t think there is a holdup. I think things are going along very well,” the U.S. leader told reporters when asked what was preventing a peace deal.
Sitting on the opposite side of a long table from the Israeli leader, Trump also said Hamas was willing to end the war in Gaza, which is entering its 22nd month.
Fidan said he observed growing optimism among mediating countries. He revealed that he met with the Qatari prime minister earlier on Monday and discussed the situation in Gaza, noting that Ankara is receiving daily feedback from Doha on the ongoing negotiations.