Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday (June 11) welcomed Turkey's interest in the BRICS group of nation during a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in the Kremlin.
On Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, during his visit to Beijing was asked whether Turkey would want to join BRICS, a group comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.
Fidan said "we would like to of course, why would we not?". However, he did not elaborate further.
NATO member Turkey had come under fire by its Western allies in recent years over its ties with Russia, with some saying that its "axis" was shifting away from the Western military alliance.
Ankara has rejected this, saying it remained a committed member of the alliance and maintained its goal of full membership of the European Union.
