Russia-Turkey Ties May Bring Ankara to Eurasian Union in Future - Erdogan's Aide

Bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia could lead to a Eurasian union in the future as the fate of the European Union is uncertain, the Turkish president's chief adviser Ilnur Cevik said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to media reports, Kazakhstan invited Turkey to join the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in 2014. The EAEU is a regional political and economic bloc that aims to optimize the flow of goods and services between its members.

Its current member states are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

"On the one hand, the European Union is crumbling… On the other hand, I do not know if the European Union can be some sort of a serious power because the world is turbulent now, it is changing very fast… It is very important to maintain the bilateral cooperation between Russia and Turkey, maintain the dialogue, this is an important element, which in the future may lead us to a Eurasian union," Cevik said.

Turkey became the candidate for the EU membership in 2005. In March 2016, Turkey's candidature received a boost as it signed an agreement with the European Union on taking back migrants who arrived illegally in Greece in exchange for financial aid and concessions on visas.

However, Brussels' relations with Ankara took a hit in the aftermath of the July 2016 attempted coup in Turkey, when the European Union objected to the Turkish government's crackdown on those suspected of ties to the coup organizers.