US Frightened by Turkey's Aspiration to Join BRICS, US Journalist Hinkle Argues

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Sputnik) - The United States is frightened that Turkey, a key member of NATO, is seeking to join BRICS, a bloc that includes the US's geopolitical adversaries Russia and China, US journalist and political commentator Jackson Hinkle told Sputnik on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).
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"I think they've got to be very worried. I mean, Turkey is arguably the most important NATO member outside of the US. And the fact that they're now debating whether to join into BRICS. They said they've applied. They said they'll attend the BRICS meeting … We'll see how it goes. But the US is definitely frightened," Hinkle said.
However, he also pointed to the multi-vector nature of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's policy and, in this regard, added that he himself would believe in the country's accession to BRICS when it actually happens.
Turkey Needs to Apply for BRICS Membership Promptly, Patriotic Party Vatan Says
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday that Turkey had officially applied for full membership in BRICS. The Russian official said BRICS was unlikely to accept any new members at the Kazan summit in October after the member states agreed to introduce a new status of a BRICS partner state.
The Eastern Economic Forum took place from Tuesday to Friday and was hosted by the Far Eastern Federal University in Russia's Pacific coast city of Vladivostok. Sputnik was the general information partner of EEF 2024.