Azerbaijan and Turkiye have applied to join BRICS. This suggests that both Azerbaijan and Turkiye have a solid understanding of the political processes and economic trends highlighted again by Vladimir Putin.

Axar.az reports that Leonid Kalashnikov, chairman of the State Duma's committee on CIS affairs, mentioned this in an interview with "Moscow-Baku."

"Today, organizations like BRICS are becoming relevant as formats striving to free themselves from Western pressure and dictatorship. Against the backdrop of increasing desire among states to pursue independent policies, BRICS is strengthening further. The BRICS countries cover a quarter of the world's territory and are home to more than 40 percent of the planet's population. Today, more countries are realizing the need to secure their own markets and create common markets in the face of Western pressure and sanctions," he said.

According to the politician, friendly Azerbaijan has a real chance of joining BRICS:

"Moreover, all BRICS countries are interested in the full implementation of the North-South transport corridor passing through Russian and Azerbaijani territories. Considering this, I believe that Azerbaijan could become one of the most influential member states by joining this international union. Logistics is a very important aspect. And today, the West uses this to pressure states. Until recently, many logistics routes involving Russia passed through Western countries. However, the conflict between Russia and the West has made such interactions problematic. If the Northern Sea Route and North-South Corridor are fully operational, and if the Global South, Eastern countries, and we actively interact, it will change the dependency on Western logistics."