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Turkey

Turkey

November 11, 2026

Ankara 10:51 am

7°C

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey bars MP’s wife from travel after his fund scandal criticism: What to know

Opposition politicians and rights advocates described Yonca Verdioglu Sik’s brief detention as an attempt to intimidate her husband, opposition lawmaker Ahmet Sik, over his criticism of the government.

A steel worker works in front of giant iron melting pot in Kardemir Iron and Steel Factory in Karabuk, northwestern Turkey, Aug. 26 2005. (TARIK TINAZAY/AFP via Getty Images)

Steel factory explosion in western Turkey kills at least 16

Footage from the scene showed a huge plume of thick smoke spreading into the sky as flames engulfed a tall structure within the plant.

MEHMET ESER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Will Democrats block Trump’s push to deliver Turkey F-35s, lift sanctions?

Democratic control of Congress complicates Turkey’s push for F-35s and sanctions relief, but Ankara remains hopeful Trump can still broker a deal.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

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United Arab Emirates

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift?

TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

- PHOTO TAKEN 30NOV05 - Hundreds of trucks bringing in diesel from Iran line up on a road as they head to the eastern province of Van in Turkey November 30, 2005. [In the shadows of mountains bordering Iraq and Iran, Turkey's Hakkari province may one day be an outpost of the European Union. But for now, it feels cut off from the world. Picture taken November 30, 2005.] - RTXO1TK

Can Iran go around Turkey to reach Europe?

The regional turmoil, and particularly the unstable situation in Turkey, is prompting Iran to speed up plans to establish alternative trade routes to Europe.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek poses during an interview with Reuters in Ankara, Turkey, December 23, 2015. Simsek said he expects gross domestic product to grow a higher-than-expected 3.5-4 percent this year and sees growth next year above the official 4 percent forecast. Picture taken December 23, 2015. To match Interview TURKEY-ECONOMY/SIMSEK REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX1ZZ1V

Turkish deputy PM: Coup's economic wounds 'easy to manage'

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Mehmet Simsek, Turkey’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, expresses optimism on the recent coup attempt's economic effects, saying the only real damage was to Turkey's image in the West.

Pro-secular demonstrators march with cutouts of modern Turkey's founder Ataturk during a Youth and Sports Day celebration in Istanbul, Turkey May 19, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTSEZQH

How ambitions of 'Islamist cult' united Islamists, secularists in Turkey

The ambitions of the Gulenists have been able to bring Turkey’s Islamists and secularists together for the first time in the country's political history.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan talks to the media before a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (not pictured) at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, October 5, 2015. Erdogan mocked European Union overtures for help with its migration crisis during a long-awaited visit to Brussels on Monday that in the end was partly overshadowed by Russia's violation of Turkish airspace near Syria. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RTS34D3

Turkey-EU relations in tailspin after coup attempt

Turkey’s ties with Europe have taken a turn for the worse as Turks accuse the European Union of deserting them after last month's coup attempt.

Members of the ultra-nationalist Turkish Youth Association (TGB) take part in a protest against academics close to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen in front of Ankara University in Ankara, Turkey, July 21, 2016. The banner reads "Universities should be cleansed from Fethullah's terrorist organisation". REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTSJ0KC

Will KRG be next target of Turkey's Gulenist purge?

Though the Gulen movement has long been a major player in education, business and public facilities in Iraqi Kurdistan, observers doubt that the Turkish government will let its influence hinder relations between the two important trading partners.

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (C), flanked by Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar (3rd L) and the country's top generals, attends a wreath-laying ceremony in Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, ahead of a High Military Council meeting in Ankara, Turkey, July 28, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSK1HV

How Turkey is reforming its military

Turkey is undertaking revolutionary military reforms, but they can’t yet be characterized democratic.

Turkey's reality dating shows see spike in complaints, ratings

Turkey’s matchmaking reality shows have come under scrutiny by the country’s media watchdog amid increasing complaints, but their unending scandals continue to raise their ratings.

Turkish gendarmeries escort fugitive commandos who were involved in a bid to seize President Tayyip Erdogan during a failed coup attempt last month, as they leave from a gendarmerie station in Mugla province, Turkey, early August 1, 2016. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz - RTSKIP4

Political leg of Gulenist network in Turkey remains obscure

Pressure mounts on the Turkish government to assume political responsibility for Gulenist entrenchment in the state.

A demonstrator holds newspaper read "Black day of the press" during a protest outside the Cumhuriyet newspaper in Istanbul, Turkey, November 27, 2015. Around 2,000 people protested on Friday over the arrest of two prominent journalists on charges of espionage and terrorist propaganda, a case that has revived long-standing criticism of Turkey's record on press freedom under President Tayyip Erdogan. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTX1W3XS

How a Turkish daily targeting army tutelage was banned for supporting a coup

Taraf, a plucky liberal newspaper operating on a shoestring budget, was the poster child for the AKP's efforts to defang the Turkish army. Its fortunes mirror the feud between the AKP and Fethullah Gulen.

U.S. based cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 29, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller - RTSKAI8

Why are Gulenists hostile toward Iran?

There seems to be a blind spot in the excited discussion surrounding the failed coup in Turkey: the long and complex enmity between Iran and the followers of exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.

A man holds a banner as he and others have gathered in solidarity night after night since the July 15 coup attempt in central Ankara, Turkey, July 27, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSJZ30

The West must reach out to Turkey

Turkey needs sensible friends at this critical juncture who will both understand the severity of the threat the nation has faced and also urge it to respect the rule of law.

Demonstrators wave Turkish flags as they shout slogans demanding the extradition of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Turkish government blame for a failed coup attempt last week, during a protest near the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, July 19, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTSIOIV

Turkish legislators press case for Gulen extradition

A group of parliamentarians from Turkey visited Washington to try to ease tensions with the United States following a failed July 15 coup attempt.