Turkey's relations with Russia, China don't mean turning its back on the West, Erdogan says

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey is not backing away from the West as it seeks deeper ties with the East as he returns from a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summitByThe Associated PressSeptember 2, 2026, 9:59 AMISTANBUL -- Turkey is not backing away from the West as it seeks deeper ties with the East, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday as he headed back from a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.The conference in Kyrgyzstan saw Erdogan hold a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at which they discussed further nuclear cooperation.In comments made to journalists aboard the presidential plane, Erdogan reiterated Turkey’s goal of becoming a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, whose ten current members include Russia, China, India and Iran.“I would also like to particularly emphasize that Turkey’s membership perspective in the organization does not mean a break from a bloc or turning our backs on the West,” the president said.Turning to the war in Ukraine, during which Ankara has maintained friendly relations with both Moscow and Kyiv, Erdogan said it was his and Putin’s “expectation … that the w...