Turkish President confirms G20 attendance, seeks Lula’s support for BRICS membership

Brazilian leader and Recep Erdoğan met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy

Published in Jun 15, 2024 03:15 PM Updated in Jun 17, 2024 02:33 PM

President Lula and Türkiye's President, Recep Erdoğan: attendance confirmed at the G20 in Brazil. Photo: Ricardo Stuckert / PR

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva held a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Erdoğan on the sidelines of the G7 Summit on Friday, June 14, in the Puglia region of Italy.

Erdoğan requested Lula's support for Türkiye's bid to join BRICS, a bloc originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. In 2023, the group expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran.

Lula said he will support the Turkish goal of joining BRICS and said he wants to visit the country whose territory connects Europe to the Middle East. Erdoğan confirmed that he will be in Brazil for the G20 Summit on November 18 and 19 in Rio de Janeiro.