Turkey's bid to join BRICS undermines trust in Ankara – Lithuanian foreign minister

VILNIUS – Turkey's application to join the BRICS group of emerging-market nations undermines trust in Ankara, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Tuesday. 

"(The decision) is difficult to understand. Clearly, trust in that country will certainly diminish," Landsbergis told reporters. 

"Questions have already been raised about how we reconcile positions within the (NATO) Alliance between countries that support Ukraine and those that are pro-Russian. All this undermines trust," he added. 

Landsbergis' comment came after Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing sources, that Turkey has formally asked to join BRICS "as it seeks to bolster its global influence and forge new ties beyond its traditional Western allies". 

According to the sources, Turkey submitted its application to join BRICS "some months ago amid frustration over a lack of progress in its decades-old bid to join the European Union". 

The news agency said that the group's further enlargement could be discussed during a summit in Russia in October.

Brazil, Russia, India and China are the founding members of BRICS, with South Africa joining later. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined the bloc earlier this year.

 Asta Skaisgiryte, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda's chief foreign policy advisor, said on Tuesday that "BRICS is not really an organization, but rather a group of countries."

According to Skaisgiryte, what unites the BRICS countries is their desire to show that they are growing future geopolitical players. 

"I believe that Turkey's bid to join BRICS is aimed at showing that it wants to be a regional geopolitical player and seeks a certain level of visibility," she told the Ziniu Radijas radio station. 

The group primarily focuses on economic cooperation, expanding multilateral trade, and development.

Turkey, a NATO member, has sought to maintain good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv during Russia's more than two-year war against Ukraine, positioning itself as an important mediator and potential peacemaker.