NATO membership is not an obstacle to joining BRICS, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to a question about the possibility of Turkey to join BRICS, TASS reported.
In front of the NTV television channel, Peskov also said that participation in the EU is also not an obstacle to joining the BRICS.
At the end of September, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also stated that Turkey's possible accession to BRICS would not mean that the country is giving up its participation in NATO.
So far, Turkey has not officially confirmed the information that it has applied for BRICS membership, although it does not hide its interest in this possibility.
Today Erdogan will participate as a guest at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan and is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The long-standing BRICS members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as well as the recently joined Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, will be represented at the forum.