Türkiye may seek full SCO membership, Erdoğan says after Bishkek summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday that NATO member Türkiye could seek full membership in the China- and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

He stressed, however, that closer relations with the Eurasian security bloc would not mean that Türkiye was moving away from NATO or the West in general.

“Türkiye’s prospect of full [SCO] membership … does not imply a breakaway from any other bloc or from the West,” Erdoğan told reporters aboard his flight home from Kyrgyzstan.

On Tuesday, Erdoğan attended the landmark SCO summit in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, where he described the organisation as a “rising star” and an “indispensable part of an emerging multipolar order.”

Türkiye became an SCO dialogue partner in 2012. But it is neither a full-fledged member of the organisation, nor does it have observer status.

The SCO currently boasts 10 full members: China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Founded in 2001, the SCO initially focused on regional security, counterterrorism, and border cooperation. Since then, however, its activities have expanded to include trade, energy, transportation, and diplomatic coordination.

Erdoğan has long pursued closer political and commercial ties with both China and Russia while maintaining Türkiye’s longstanding position as a core NATO member.

Meeting with Putin

On the summit’s sidelines, Erdoğan held a 90-minute meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was also attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.

Before the closed-door meeting, Erdoğan told reporters that Türkiye planned to take additional “steps” toward developing power-plant projects with Russia following the opening of the Russian-built Akkuyu nuclear facility on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast.

Türkiye’s first nuclear plant, the Akkuyu facility is expected to meet roughly 10 percent of the country’s total electricity needs once it comes online.

Putin, for his part, described Türkiye as one of Moscow’s “privileged partners” in both foreign policy and economic affairs, praising Erdoğan’s role in maintaining close bilateral ties.

Türkiye has declined to join Western sanctions against Moscow over the ongoing war in Ukraine, while simultaneously supplying weapons to Kyiv and offering to mediate between the warring parties.

Read more:

• Leaders eye deeper economic cooperation at SCO summit in Bishkek
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: What is the SCO and why does it matter?

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