Erdoğan arrives in Russia for BRICS talks

KAZAN

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Russia on Wednesday for talks at the BRICS summit in Kazan.

The two-day summit takes place as the international community is expressing growing concerns over the continued regional conflicts in the Middle East and Eurasia.

Erdoğan is expected to urge the international community to do more to end the wars taking place in Gaza and Lebanon as well as in Ukraine.

On the first day of the summit, he will meet Putin, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The last meeting between Erdoğan and Putin took place in Astana in early July. Their agenda included energy cooperation and the establishment of a natural gas hub in Türkiye as well as regional conflicts.

Erdoğan has long been exerting efforts to end the Russian-Ukrainian war through a fair and lasting agreement.

Two leaders will also address Middle East escalation and fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to the region.

Erdoğan was accompanied by a large delegation, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, and Trade Minister Ömer Bolat.

The summit in Kazan brings BRICS members, including China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and around two dozen other countries that are interested in deepening their ties with the group. U.N. chief Antoino Guterres was also in Kazan.

On the second day of the summit, Erdoğan will attend the expanded BRICS meeting and a working lunch. A family photo will also be taken.

After the meetings, the president will proceed with his bilateral discussions. He is planned to come together with Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmad.

NATO member Türkiye has shown interest in joining BRICS, but the summit will unlikely decide on the enlargement of the group.

Instead, the BRICS group is discussing introducing the “partner country” status until the applicant countries are admitted as full members.

"India is ready to welcome new countries into BRICS as ‘partner countries,'" Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the summit on Oct. 23.