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Turkey

Turkey

August 17, 2026

Ankara 4:47 pm

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Fireworks explode over Islamabad

Analysis

How Israel's rivalry, defense deals prompted Turkey to join Mecca pact

Turkey’s growing rivalry with Israel and mounting regional instability are driving its defense alignment with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, despite risks of strategic entanglement and friction with NATO partners.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Exclusive

Turkey set to sign charter for Saudi-led Red Sea coalition on Friday

Servicemen of Yavuz class, TCG Turgutreis (F-241), warship stand at attention on the deck as they participate in the live-fire phase of the "Blue Homeland-2026" (Mavi Vatan) tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Explainer

Three ways China benefits from Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact: What to know

SPA

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

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

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan checks hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after a joint press conference at the Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul on July 7, 2023. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey's Erdogan hosts Zelenskyy, says Ukraine 'deserves' to be NATO member

Turkish President Erdogan’s declaration of support comes amid a fresh push by Kyiv to join the Transatlantic alliance once the war is over.

Patriot long-range air defence systems of the German Bundeswehr armed forces are deployed at Vilnius Airport ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 7, 2023. (Photo by Petras Malukas / AFP) (Photo by PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP via Getty Images)

US presses Turkey to lift opposition to Sweden's NATO bid as summit nears

US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said the administration wants to see Sweden's inclusion in the Western military alliance "as soon as possible."

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 03: People shop at a local street market on May 03, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. Persistently high inflation has led to a cost-of-living crisis in Turkey that has hurt President Erdogan's popularity ahead of the March 14 presidential election. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)

Turkey raises taxes up to 20% on basic goods as deficit, inflation linger

The move follows changes to Turkey’s monetary policy and a new cabinet following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s reelection.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's Erdogan ups pressure on US, Sweden ahead of NATO summit

Turning up the heat before his critical meeting with the Swedish premier on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his country’s stiff demands from Stockholm.

MADRID, SPAIN - JUNE 30: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President holds his press conference at the NATO Summit on June 30, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. During the summit in Madrid, on June 30 NATO leaders will make the historic decision whether to increase the number of high-readiness troops above 300,000 to face the Russian threat. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Turkey's Erdogan to meet Sweden's PM for last-ditch talks on NATO bid

With five days to go to NATO’s Vilnius summit, the NATO secretary-general says he will bring together the leaders of Turkey and Sweden to break the deadlock on Sweden’s NATO membership bid. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky react while giving a press conference following the talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Lviv on Aug. 18, 2022, amid Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy to visit Turkey as Erdogan seeks to extend grain deal

Military aid to Ukraine and another extension of Black Sea grain deal are expected to dominate the talks in Istanbul.

Greek and Turkish flags.

Turkey, Greece to resume confidence-building talks

The resumption of confidence-building negotiations comes as a culmination of the fence-mending steps between Ankara and Athens since the devastating Feb. 6 quakes that hit Turkey.

Jordanian Foreign Minsiter Ayman Safadi (L) meets with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara on July 4, 2023.

In Turkey visit, Jordan's FM says Ankara, Amman on same page on Syrians

The foreign minister of Jordan, whose country hosted a series of mediation meetings between Damascus and other Arab capitals, traveled to Ankara after meeting with Assad in Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech at the International Ombudsman Conference at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on January 11, 2023. - Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets (Ombudsman) and High Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation Tatiana Moskalkova asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to act as a mediator to establish a humanitarian corridor to evacuate women, children and wounded in Ukrainian territories engaged in c

Turkey, Egypt fully restore diplomatic ties after decade-long freeze

After years of diplomatic isolation, Ankara and Cairo have announced full normalization.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JUNE 23: People walk past a currency exchange shop on June 23, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Turkish Lira weakened to a record low of 25.74 against the dollar, a day after the central bank hiked interest rates from 8.5 percent to 15 percent in the first rate decision since the appointment of new central bank governor Hafize Gaye Erkan and the re-election of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Turkish lira outlook: Policy shift indicates progress, but bolder rate hikes needed for investor confidence

The recent rise in interest rates in Turkey could potentially signal a turning point for the Turkish lira.

Piero Cingari

This picture taken on Jan. 26, 2019, shows journalists filming outside the departure lounge and control tower of Sulaimaniyah International Airport.

Turkey extends flight ban on Iraqi Kurds' Sulaimaniyah airport over alleged PKK support

Turkey said its latest ban is in response to "the intensification of activities by the PKK terrorist organization in Sulaimaniyah."

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan says Turkey won't 'back down' on demands for Sweden’s NATO bid

In an apparent jab at Sweden and the United States, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country wouldn’t cave to “veiled threats.”