By Barçın Yinanç
Only some people, apart from the experts and those involved with the energy sector, are aware that Turkey has quietly joined the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), a Western
cooperation platform on essential minerals.
Critical minerals have become the new frontline of the rivalry between China and the US. China has a global monopoly on the production (70%) and processing (90%) of rare-earth elements (REEs).
The establishment of the MSP is seen as part of Western efforts to “break China’s chokehold over a sector that is essential for high-tech industries.”
On Sept. 27, the U.S. Department of State issued a statement announcing that Turkey along with countries such as Congo, Serbia, the Philippines, and Zambia had joined the MSP.
No statement was issued from either the Turkish Foreign Affairs or Energy Ministry.
‘BEST OF BOTH WORLDS’
Two weeks after the U.S. statement, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar went to China for an official visit. By contrast, the Energy Ministry announced the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation on natural resources and mining.
“Turkey, which has the world's second largest rare earth element reserve, signed an important agreement with China which has a serious technological experience in this field,” reads the article on the website.
Turkish authorities claim to have uncovered the world’s second-largest rare earth element reserve in the Beylikova district of Eskişehir in central Anatolia.
The fact that Turkey seeks the cooperation of China to unearth these critical materials while at the same time becoming part of a platform that challenges China’s dominance in this sector is typical of the AKP government’s strategy of trying to get the “best of both worlds.”
The same goes for its willingness to join BRICS.
To this day, government sources have never officially confirmed whether Turkey made an official application to become a member of BRICS Plus.
The Turkish public heard about it from an advisor of the Russian leader. It is not clear whether maintaining the ambiguity over Turkey’s plans is part of a calculated strategy. The lack of clarity might also reflect discord in Ankara especially between the Presidential Palace and the Foreign Ministry. The latter has been exceptionally silent and avoided confirming Turkey’s official bid to join BRICS.
Mixed signals coming from Moscow appear to have curbed Turkey’s enthusiasm about full membership.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s Sept. 6 statement has not gone unnoticed in Ankara.
“The main thing for full-fledged members and countries developing various forms of cooperation with BRCIS is to share common values that are different from the ones the European Union has been defending in Ukraine,” said Lavrov, while talking about Turkey’s interest in BRICS.
DOWNPLAYING THE BID
Just hours before the BRICS Plus summit in Kazan, some Turkish officials started to downplay Turkey’s bid to join. “Unlike membership of the EU, membership in BRICS is not something that will immediately change your life,” said an official.
At the time of writing, Turkey appeared to be content with “partnership status.” As there has been an unexpected number of countries willing to join, BRICS members decided to create a separate status, according to Turkish sources. Yet Turkish officials appeared to lack precise information on what this status would entail.
Meanwhile, some countries that have recently joined the platform have introduced certain criteria for new members which is not good news for Turkey, according to a Turkish expert.
“India and Brazil condition their green light to new members on support for their UN Security Council permanent membership agenda. For us, Brazil is easier but given our relations with Pakistan, it is more difficult to formalize this support for India,” think tanker Sinan Ülgen wrote on X.
Meanwhile Turkey’s bid to join BRICS was criticized by a retired diplomat who claimed there was “stem cell incompatibility” with member countries of BRICS.
“On the one side, we see EU, NATO and Council of Europe which prioritize democracy and the individual and, on the other side, we see members of BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization which prioritize power and oppression,” wrote Özdem Sanberk, a former undersecretary of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Turkey’s membership in BRICS will be like pushing all the keys of a piano at the same time, he said.
