Russia's Foreign Ministry: Turkey Should Not Join NATO

The Special Representative of the President of Russia for SCO Affairs, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Special Envoy for Special Assignments Bakhtier Hakimov has stated that Turkey must meet certain criteria for joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and should not join alliances like NATO. This was reported by RIA Novosti.

“We have provisions regarding the admission of new members, which stipulate a number of criteria. These include belonging to the Eurasian region, maintaining active diplomatic and trade-economic relations, and cultural ties with SCO member states, as well as the absence of conflicts with SCO member states, non-interference in external conflicts, the absence of UN Security Council sanctions, as well as refraining from hostile actions or participation in alliances directed against SCO members,” emphasized Hakimov.

He noted that Turkey is a member of NATO, which has declared Russia not merely an adversary but its number one enemy.

According to Hakimov, all positive aspects connecting Turkey and the SCO must be carefully analyzed considering various factors.

It is noteworthy that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently participated in a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand, after which he stated that Turkey aims to join the SCO.