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| Shanghai Cooperation Organization |
By Zachary Keck
Turkish PM Erdogan has once again said that Turkey wants to join the SCO. This is just part of Turkey’s larger pivot to Asia.
During a trip to Russia in November, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again said that Ankara would abandon its quest to join the European Union if it was offered full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
According to Turkish newspapers, Erdogan made the comments during a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The impetus for Erdogan’s remarks was Putin’s response to a question about Ukraine recently pulling out of talks over an EU trade pact.
“We will ask Turkey what we can do. Turkey has great experience in EU talks,” Putin said sarcastically, referring to Ankara’s long and checkered history of seeking EU membership.
Without skipping a beat, Erdogan responded: “You are right. Fifty years of experience is not easy. Allow us into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and save us from this trouble.”
Given the context the comment was made in, it might be easy to dismiss the comment as a lighthearted joke. However, this is not the first time that Erdogan has said Turkey would gladly forgo EU membership if it was invited to join the SCO as a full member.
Read the full story at The Diplomat