Turkey’s Erdogan Eyes Full Membership in Moscow-Led Regional Bloc

NATO member Turkey hopes to eventually join the Moscow-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this week. “Our goal is to become a permanent member there [in the SCO]—not an observer,” Mr. Erdogan told reporters on July 11. Since 2013, Turkey has been an SCO “dialogue partner,” which is generally seen as a first step towards eventual membership in the organization. Turkey, Mr. Erdogan said, “should now join the Shanghai Five as a permanent member.” He has already raised the issue, he said, with the leaders of Russia and China. The Turkish leader made the remarks after attending a three-day NATO summit in Washington, which focused mainly on the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict....