Erdogan: Turkey's membership in the SCO will not mean abandoning relations with the West

Turkey may in the future join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), but membership in it does not mean abandoning relations with the West.

This was stated by the president of the republic, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following his participation in the SCO+ summit in Bishkek.

Turkey has the status of a dialogue partner in the SCO. "We have the potential to bring relations with the SCO to a new level in the coming period. I would especially like to emphasize that the prospect of Turkey's membership in this organization does not mean a break with any bloc or a rejection of relations with the West," the TRT Haber television channel quoted Erdogan as saying.

According to him, Turkey's participation in the SCO+ format summit in Bishkek was a confirmation of its desire to diversify its economic, political, and strategic opportunities. "Turkey maintains bilateral trade and economic relations with the SCO member states. It is now clear to everyone that Turkey has enormous trade and economic opportunities across a vast territory stretching from China to Central Asia and from Russia to South Asia. In recent years, significant progress has been made in our relations with the organization, reflecting our multifaceted foreign policy approach. Turkey is a country capable of developing balanced relations with both the West and the East and, accordingly, of deepening its ties. This approach strengthens Turkey's aspiration to find solutions to global problems on the basis of cooperation and effective multilateral engagement," Erdogan noted.

Source: TASS