Putin backs Türkiye's entry into BRICS, warns of one problem

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Türkiye's interest in joining BRICS and backed the NATO Black Sea member state's commitment to jointly solving common problems.

The message was delivered on June 11 in Moscow, during the first bilateral meeting between the Kremlin chief and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's top diplomat.

Black Sea Neighbors

“We welcome Türkiye’s interest in the work of BRICS,” Putin told Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at a closed-door bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS+ foreign ministers’ meeting in western Russia.

“We fully support the aspirations and wishes of the countries in this alliance to stand side by side and draw closer together,” the Russian leader said.

BRICS initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from January this year.

Although this was his first meeting with Mr Putin, it was Mr Fidan's second visit to Russia as Turkish Foreign Minister. Mr Fidan took office in June last year and two months later made his first visit to Turkey's Black Sea neighbour.

During a visit last August, the Turkish official met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and head of the Russian Federal Security Service Sergei Naryshkin, according to Turkish broadcaster TRT.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Moscow, June 11, 2024. Photo: Daily Sabah

Mr Fidan's second visit to Russia comes just a week after Mr Putin subtly criticised Türkiye over Ankara's deepening ties with Western financial institutions.

Türkiye “has focused on borrowing, investing and receiving funding from Western financial institutions. This is probably not a bad thing,” Turkish state news agency Anadolu quoted Putin as saying at the time.

“But if it involves limiting trade and economic relations with Russia, the Turkish economy will lose more than it gains. I think there is such a threat,” he added, according to Anadolu. The Russian leader spoke at a press conference on June 5.

While Foreign Minister Fidan was holding talks with Russian officials in Moscow, World Bank President Ajay Banga was meeting with President Erdogan and Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek in Ankara.

Simsek and Banga discussed the “Country Cooperation Framework Program” between Türkiye and the World Bank, Anadolu reported. Banga’s first visit to Türkiye comes after the financial institution in April doubled its lending, including direct loans, to Türkiye to $35 billion as part of the program.

Trade decline

Ankara has come under scrutiny in the West amid allegations that Russia is using Türkiye to evade international sanctions over its war in Ukraine. The US Treasury has imposed sanctions on dozens of Türkiye-based companies since the fighting began in Eastern Europe.

However, US Ambassador to Ankara Jeff Flake said last month that the US was “getting better results working” with the Turkish government to prevent Russia from using the Eurasian transcontinental country to evade sanctions.

The country imports more than 44% of its natural gas from Russia, but amid growing pressure from the West, especially from the US, these imports have declined.

According to data released last month by the Turkish Statistical Institute, TurkStat, from January to April, Russia's exports reached $15 billion, a large figure but $2 billion lower than the same period last year.

Speaking on June 11, Mr Putin acknowledged the decline but said: “We believe that this is mainly due to the adjustment of prices for our main exports and imports. I hope that we will be able to overcome this situation in the near future.”

Russia and Türkiye are two neighboring countries on the Black Sea, which has increasingly become a flashpoint since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022. Photo: Politico EU

Türkiye, a member of the NATO military alliance with friendly ties to Moscow, has not joined Western sanctions against Russia but has blocked Russian warships from accessing the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits that link the Aegean and Black Seas. Ankara has also supplied ammunition and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones) to Ukraine.

Speaking last week, Mr Putin also criticized Kiev, saying that Ukrainian armed forces were using Turkish UAVs to attack undersea pipelines in the Black Sea supplying natural gas to Türkiye.

“Ukraine is trying to attack gas pipelines to Türkiye. This is not a joke or an exaggeration of any kind,” the Russian leader said. “Please inform our friend, President Erdogan, about the truth regarding this issue,” he added.

Turkish officials announced earlier this year that Mr Putin would visit Türkiye in February, but the visit was never confirmed by the Russian side and did not take place.

Mr. Putin also said on June 11 that he plans to meet Mr. Erdogan directly on July 3-4 in the capital Astana of Kazakhstan on the sidelines of an international event .

Minh Duc (According to Al-Monitor, TASS)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/ong-putin-ung-ho-tho-nhi-ky-gia-nhap-brics-canh-bao-ve-mot-van-de-a667979.html