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Turkey

Turkey

August 20, 2026

Ankara 3:31 am

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President Ahmad al-Sharaa meets Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar at the People’s Palace in Damascus, Syria, on Aug. 19, 2026.

Turkey looks to expand Syria energy footprint into oil, gas

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said state oil giant TPAO and private companies are ready to explore for oil and gas onshore and offshore in Syria.

Ohad Zwigenberg / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Netanyahu yields to Trump on Gaza, betting Hamas won’t disarm

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to advance the US administration's Gaza plan in a meeting with envoy Jared Kushner despite his skepticism about Hamas' commitment.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Sudanese army soldier stands in front of a tank

Sudan ramps up Saudi Arabia, Turkey contacts amid growing Red Sea cooperation

Sudanese officials held parallel talks in Riyadh and Ankara as Saudi Arabia and Turkey deepen security cooperation around the Red Sea and fighting intensifies in Sudan.

Latest News

Analysis

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

Fireworks explode over Islamabad

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Diyarbakir Kurds

Kurdish journalists in southeast Turkey still uncharged after week in jail

Colleagues of 20 detained journalists say they believe their arrests are tied to Turkey’s planned military operation against Syrian Kurdish militants.

Turkish pharmacy

UAE-Turkey economic relations continue to tighten with pharma deal

The Emirati investment firm ADQ has acquired Birgi Mefar Group.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to his supporters on June 7, 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Ghosts of Gezi protests still haunt Erdogan

The timing of President Erdogan’s recent outbursts targeting the 2013 Gezi protests hints that the protests will play a central role in his campaigning ahead of the June 2023 elections.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg poses with application documents.

NATO chief lauds Sweden for addressing Turkey’s terror concerns

Sweden has faced Turkish opposition to its effort to join NATO because of what Turkey perceives as Sweden's support of Kurdish "terrorists."

People shop in a street around Istanbul's famous Grand Bazaar on May 05, 2022, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey’s growing current account gap exacerbates lira weakness

A widening current account deficit, coupled with $181 billion in short-term external debt liabilities and plunging foreign investments, portend further currency woes for Turkey.

Erdogan

Does Erdogan have a green light from Russia to move into Syria?

The US and Iran oppose the planned Turkish operation, as Erdogan digs in further on Finland and Sweden’s NATO bids, and warns Greece on the Aegean Islands.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Venezuelan president, top Russian diplomat overlap in Turkey

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro were in Ankara on the same day.

Erdogan

US officials say Turkey ‘well aware’ of their concerns over Syria offensive

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R).

Russia expresses 'understanding' for Turkey’s security concerns in north Syria

Receiving Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu maintains that the creation of a safe maritime corridor for Ukrainian grain exports should be accompanied by the easing of sanctions against Russia.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Eroding judicial independence threatens Turkish elections

Opposition groups are increasingly concerned about Turkey's political climate after recent court rulings showed consistent lenience for the president's supporters.

TOPSHOT - Deputy of HDP (People's Democratic Party) Musa Piroglu (L) in a wheelchair tries to stop Turkish riot policemen near Taksim square in Istanbul on May 31, 2022, as the police blocked the access to the square during the ninth anniversary of the Gezi park and Taksim square demonstrations. - People gathered on May 31, 2022 to mark the ninth anniversary of Gezi park at Taksim square. In 2013, what started as a small campaign to save the Gezi Park from the bulldozers eventually drew an estimated three m

Turkey’s Erdogan pins economic crisis on 2013 Gezi protests

Turkey's president has added the economy to his list of casualties of the nationwide Gezi protests nine years ago.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu shake hands during a joint press conference following their talks in Moscow on March 16, 2022.

Ukraine, Syria top Lavrov's agenda in Turkey

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrives in Ankara on June 8.