Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday (local time). [AP]
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday (local time). [AP]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan left open the possibility of Turkey formally joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the China- and Russia-led bloc, on Wednesday (local time).

Speaking to reporters aboard his plane as he returned home from the SCO summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Erdogan said Turkey could deepen its ties with the grouping, according to the Anadolu Agency. Asked whether Turkey might upgrade its status to full membership, he said the country could "further develop its relationship with the SCO going forward."

"We have made significant progress in our relations with the SCO in recent years, which reflects our multidimensional foreign policy approach," Erdogan said. "Turkey maintains bilateral trade and economic relations with SCO member states."

He stressed that joining the bloc would not mean abandoning existing alliances. "Turkey's membership would not mean withdrawing from any bloc or turning away from the West," he said. "Our goal is to expand our influence through the SCO."

At the SCO leaders' summit on Tuesday, Erdogan described the organization as "one of the essential elements of a multipolar order" and said Turkey would work to strengthen cooperation with what he called a "rising star" across all fields.

Turkey is a member of the NATO military alliance and has been pursuing EU membership. While it has not formally joined the SCO, it has held "dialogue partner" status since 2012. Erdogan previously said in 2022 that joining the SCO was "our goal."

Erdogan also said on Tuesday that the situation in Ukraine was discussed during his bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling reporters he had conveyed to Putin that Turkey was "ready to work toward achieving peace."

On the question of Turkey's purchase of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system — which has blocked Ankara's participation in the US F-35 fighter jet program — Erdogan said discussions on rejoining the program were ongoing. "I think this issue will be resolved soon once the process in the United States is completed," he said.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com