NATO state’s president arrives at BRICS Summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in the Russian city of Kazan on Wednesday to attend the 16th annual BRICS Summit. The president was accompanied by a large delegation, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, as well as the ministers of Trade and Energy. 

The Turkish president’s plane was reported to have landed at Kazan airport at about 14:45 Moscow time where he was greeted by the head of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov. 

Erdogan is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral cooperation, the Ukraine crisis, as well as the situation in the Middle East. The Turkish leader is also set to hold talks with the presidents of Uzbekistan and Vietnam on Wednesday and has already reportedly engaged in discussions with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.  

While Türkiye is not yet a member of BRICS, last month Ankara officially announced that it had submitted a formal application to join the group.