Turkey is mulling to join China- and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) instead of the European Union. Turkish president Tayyip Erdoğan alluded that Turkey may no longer be willing to wait out for the EU's approval and may opt for SCO instead.

Turkey has been carrying out negotiations with the EU for over a decade. The Turkish president said that it would not make much sense to prolong the process. The relationship between Turkey and the EU is consistently declining amid the attempted coup and resulting crackdown in the country earlier this year.

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In an interview with Turkish journalists, the president said that his opinion may be criticized by others. He claimed that he has deliberated the idea of joining SCO with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Turkish president said that the country's association with the SCO "will allow it to act more freely."

Turkey's relationship with Russia hit a roadblock last November as the country shot down a Russian war plane. However,  it is believed that Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev mediated the discussions between Turkey and Russia to remove the friction.

The SCO is an informal economic and security bloc led by China and Russia. It also counts Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan as its members. The bloc is also known as the Shanghai Pact.

The bloc is constantly increasing its clout as it granted membership to India and Pakistan earlier this year. These countries will attain the full member status after an SCO meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, scheduled to be held in 2017. 

TagsTurkey, Russia, Shanghai Cooperation Organization