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Turkey

Turkey

October 11, 2026

Ankara 4:22 pm

26°C

A cargo ship at the Port of Trabzon, Turkey

Analysis

Pragmatic politics: Why Turkey avoids blaming Russia for Black Sea attacks

Beyond economics, Ankara’s approach is also shaped by maintaining its role as an indispensable mediator between the Kremlin and the West.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) during a visit on Oct. 7, 2026, in Athens, Greece.

Rubio signals US push to ease Greece-Turkey cable tensions

The top US diplomat said Washington was “very committed” to the subsea cable project as Ankara and Athens remain at odds over survey work in contested waters.

Turkish Navy infantry soldiers take part in the Denizkurdu-I/2026 Exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Aksaz, at Marmaris in Mugla, on Sept. 24, 2026.

Turkey to send Mecca pact to parliament, opening path to Saudi deployment

Parliamentary ratification will remove a legal hurdle for Turkish military deployment to Saudi Arabia under a trilateral defense pact.

Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay (R) his wife Oznur Tugay and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledge the audience after the mayor announced joining the ruling Justice and Development Party during a meeting with AKP lawmakers in Ankara, on Oct. 7, 2026.

Latest defection hands Erdogan’s AKP control of Turkey’s third-largest city

The ruling party’s takeover of Izmir’s mayoralty is the latest example of the unraveling of the opposition parties’ historic gains in Turkey’s 2024 local elections.

Latest News

Erdogan aide named suspect in Turkey financial scandal

Turkey's Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya speaks to media after arriving at the Ataturk International airport on March 12, 2017, in Istanbul.

Turkey, Pakistan to deploy forces to Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks

A Yemeni man holds up a mock missile decorated with the colors of the Palestinian flag and the chechered keffiyeh in front of portraits of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar (L) and the leader of the Houthi movement, Abdel Malek al-Houthi (R), during a protest in Sanaa to denounce strikes on Yemen and Israel's bombardment of Gaza on Jan. 15, 2025.

Analysis

Turkey revives F-16 talks with US amid Israel, Greece deterrence concerns

Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Turkey’s $20B fund crisis: Who profited, and who will pay?

Traders work at their desks on the floor of the Borsa Istanbul

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

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

Getty

Turkey captures alleged conspirator in 2016 murder of Russian ambassador

Turkish authorities continue to arrest suspects seven years after Russia's ambassador to Ankara was slain by an alleged Gulenist.

Newly appointed Minister of National Defense Yasar Guler speaks during his handover ceremony at the Ministry of National Defense, Ankara, Turkey, June 5, 2023.

Turkey dismisses Assad’s tirade, says withdrawal from Syria 'unimaginable' now

Turkey's defense minister says withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria would be "unimaginable" before his country’s national security concerns are addressed.

Somalis celebrate the victory of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he won the presidential run-off election during the celebrations organised by the government in Mogadishu, on May 29, 2023.

Why Turkey's Erdogan sings the same tune with Russia's Putin in Africa

Turkey’s efforts to expand its influence in Africa often align with those of Russia, with both Ankara and Moscow holding back from condemning military coups and seeking to capitalize on post-colonial resentments.

A gold worker holds a 1 KG gold bullion at Istanbul Gold Refinery (IGR) on January 13, 2015 in Istanbul.

Why did Turkey restrict gold imports as it rolled new economic measures?

Observers believe Turkey’s new economic leadership is unlikely to take strong measures to curb inflation before Erdogan gets through local elections in March 2024.

A photo taken on March 4, 2015 shows a banner bearing a portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a street in the city of Damascus.

Turkey-Syria reconciliation slips away as Assad bashes Erdogan

The top diplomats of Syria and Turkey met in Moscow earlier this summer, but little substantial progress seems to have been made in their path toward reconciliation.

A Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drone is on view during a presentation at the Lithuanian Air Force Base in Siauliai, Lithuania, on July 6, 2022.

Analysis

After Saudi drone deal, Turkey’s defense industry eyes record export year

Turkey’s military exports could hit a record $7.5 billion this year after a major deal with Saudi Arabia.

Eray Gorgulu

By Eray Gorgulu

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaks during a press conference with Iraq's Prime Minister in Damascus on July 16, 2023.

Analysis

The missing peace between Syria and Turkey

Erdogan, Assad and the West all seem to be accepting a low-level grey zone conflict in Syria.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey logs $674M account surplus, breaking 20 month deficit

Turkey posted a current account surplus in June for the first time since October 2021.

SAFIN HAMID/AFP via Getty Images

Six Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with Kurdish militants in northern Iraq

Escalating clashes between Turkey and Kurdish militants in northern Iraq have left six Turkish soldiers dead.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines posts $635m Q2 profit, capacity exceeds pre-COVID levels

While global airlines lost nearly $170 billion to the 2020 pandemic and the industry as a whole still is not making a net profit, Turkish Airlines managed to make $2.7 billion in profit in 2022.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

UK, Turkey to set up joint center to control illegal migration

The British government's migration policy is under increasing scrutiny from the opposition Labour Party as well as international civic groups that accuse the state of mistreating irregular migrants.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan: Revival of Russia-Ukraine grain deal hinges on West

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Russia’s return to the critical deal was dependent on Western countries’ fulfilling their responsibilities.