Turkiye tried joining the EU for decades. The Europeans would never accept them no matter how long it took or what Turkiye offered. Turks are too Muslim and too Asian for them; despite abolishing the caliphate, secularizing and adopting the Latin script.
Now though Turkiye can look southward and find prosperity without strings attached. None of the BRICS members share a culture or religion, a more diverse and global community where Turkiye can join as it is.
Turkiye is a regional power, it has a strong manufacturing base, and while a NATO member and dependent on the West they also have an advanced military industry and that was demonstrated during TAI TF Kaan maiden flight.
I recall there was an interview with the Belarusian ambassador last year where he mentions an interesting point. Belarus found that after they started refocusing their trade towards the east, their trade volume overall was lower, but their profit from trade went up. This is an indication that the west was basically ripping them off.
