Turkey, Armenia agree to restore medieval bridge in normalization push Ankara is pursuing normalization with Armenia ahead of June parliamentary elections in a thaw also positioned to advance its broader Middle Corridor ambitions. Turkey
Turkey hosts Kuwaiti FM as UAE's OAPEC exit fuels Gulf rift Kuwait's top diplomat visited Turkey as the Gulf rift deepens following the UAE’s exit from OPEC and its affiliated alliances, forcing Ankara to balance ties between Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Turkey
Analysis Iraq’s Zaidi offers economic promise for Turkey but unknowns loom Iraq’s prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, is expected to sustain growing economic and strategic ties with Turkey thanks to his business-oriented approach, though uncertainty over his political stance could test cooperation on sensitive issues. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: City Pulse Istanbul “Form-Craft-Activism” spotlights the labor behind making Also this week: A century-old lokanta, cartoonists and labor cinema By Nazlan Ertan In Izmir and Istanbul, reporting on culture
Turkey, Iran to step up cooperation on Ankara-Damascus thaw While the top Turkish and Iranian diplomats appear to be on the same page over the ongoing Damascus-Ankara rapprochement, both foreign ministers also raised contentious issues during the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Turkey. Turkey
Turkish FM travels to Washington seeking to seal deal for F-16 fighter jets Mevlut Cavusoglu’s meeting with Antony Blinken comes as Washington reportedly ties warplane deal to NATO expansion. Turkey
Interview Syrian Kurdish commander wants peace with Turkey, but will 'fully' resist attack In an interview with Al-Monitor, Syrian Democratic Forces head Mazlum Kobane said he expects a Turkish attack in February, and warned Ankara should not punish Syria’s Kurds over its own failure to resolve its own domestic issues. Mazlum Kobane SDF commander in chief
Syrian refugees in Turkey watch uneasily as Erdogan warms to Assad Syrians in Turkey are wary of losing refuge as the Turkish President eyes dialogue with Assad Turkey
Fledgling Turkish-Syrian dialogue faces bumpy road ahead Ankara and Damascus need to moderate their positions to avoid a collision in their quest for normalization. Turkey
Iran's top diplomat to visit Turkey amid Erdogan-Assad thaw The foreign ministers of the two nations will hold talks next week amid ongoing Ankara-Damascus rapprochement. Turkey
Middle East military rankings: Turkey highest, Lebanon lowest per global index Turkey stands out as the most powerful country in terms of its military capacities in its region while Lebanon is the weakest, a global military strength index finds. Turkey
Istanbul mayor charged with corruption as Turkish opposition weighs Erdogan challenger The latest move against Ekrem Imamoglu comes as Turkey’s opposition weighs which candidate would stand the best chance against Erdogan. Turkey
Ukraine and Turkey defense chiefs speak amid prisoner-swap reports The Turkish and Ukrainian defense chiefs have discussed the situation in Ukraine amid ongoing humanitarian talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Turkey. Turkey
Ukrainian, Russian commissioners to meet in Turkey Ukrainian and Russian representatives will meet in Turkey this week for talks on humanitarian issues including a potential prisoner swap. Turkey
Will Kurds’ choice to field own candidate benefit Erdogan or Turkey’s opposition? Turkey’s major pro-Kurdish opposition party has announced it will field its own candidate in a move sure to have a profound impact on the presidential race, but in which direction? Turkey
Turkey’s defense exports reach record levels in 2022, Erdogan says Turkey’s president is touting the country's defense exports, which have reached a record high. Turkey