Erdogan says Turkey would consider full membership of China- and Russia-led security bloc

Turkish Presidential Press Offic

Sep 2, 2026

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, September 1, 2026. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS — Turkish Presidential Press Offic

ANKARA, Sept 2 (Reuters) - NATO member Turkey would consider taking its relations with the China and Russia-led security bloc, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, to a higher level, PresidentTayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

"Turkey's prospect of (full) membership to the organisation does not imply a breakaway from any other bloc or from the West," Erdogan said, according to a transcript of remarks he made to journalists on his return flight from Kyrgyzstan.

Erdogan attended a summit of the SCO, of which Turkey is a "dialogue partner", in Bishkek on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Daren Butler and Alex Richardson)

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