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Turkey

Turkey

October 14, 2026

Ankara 1:36 am

16°C

A shop owner assists one of his customers at Malta bazaar in the Fatih district in Istanbul, on Dec. 6, 2024.

Iran mum as Azerbaijan’s school hijab ban, Israel ties test alliance with Turkey

Azerbaijan’s restrictions on Islamic dress in schools have sparked an unusual public spat with Turkey, exposing tensions beneath the allies’ close political and security ties.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters arrive in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk on May 14, 2013, after leaving Turkey as part of a peace drive with Ankara.

Explainer

PKK pulls out of Metina in northern Iraq amid Turkey peace process

The withdrawal comes as the peace process between Turkey and the militant group gains momentum alongside increasing security cooperation between Ankara and Baghdad.

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.

Latest News

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

US focus of ire as Turkey threatens Syria‘s Kurds

Syrian Kurdish leader says Turkish intentions unclear.

SAFIN HAMED/AFP via Getty Images

Tourist massacre marks turning point in Turkish-Iraqi ties

Iraq’s major political actors have all condemned Turkey over a deadly attack on a tourist site in what many believe signal a major downturn in bilateral ties.

OLEKSANDR GIMANOV/AFP via Getty Images

Russia reassures Egypt on wheat exports after Odessa attack

The Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s port of Odessa came just a day after Turkey brokered a deal on safe passage of wheat exports from the war-torn country.

Obsolete Turkish lira banknotes.

How realistic are Ankara’s hopes of trading in Turkish liras?

While the Turkish lira continues to tumble, Turkey’s currency swaps with China and other countries have failed to live up to their stated objective of boosting trade in local currencies, official data show.

Grain deal

US commends Turkey, UN for Ukraine-Russia grain deal

The US welcomed the grain agreement signed in Istanbul but cautioned the devil is in the details.

Ukraine wheat

Ukraine, Russia agree to sign deal in Istanbul to end grain crisis

US cautiously welcomes potential breakthrough, thanks to Turkish mediation, to allow safe export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L), Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (C) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan returns empty-handed from talks with Putin, Raisi

Erdogan fails to enlist Russian and Iranian support for a fresh Turkish military operation in Syria, but he remains bent on maintaining the pressure.

President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq Nechirvan Barzani (R) pays tribute in front of a casket.

Massacre of nine Iraqi tourists blamed on Turkey sparks protests, diplomatic fallout

Turkey's shelling of a tourist resort in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Dahuk region leaves Iraqis mourning and angry.

Gen. Mohammed al-Bayati, secretary of the Iraqi prime minister, visits those injured by Turkish shelling at a hospital in the city of Zakho.

Iraq says Turkey killed Arab tourists in artillery attack on Kurdistan resort

The attack, which Turkey denied in a statement, came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran to win Tehran's backing for a further invasion into northeastern Syria.

Turkey military

Erdogan vows to move forward with Syria operation despite objections from Iran, Russia

Turkey’s president remains adamant despite opposition from US, Russia, Iran, Syria.

KONSTANTIN ZAVRAZHIN/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s Erdogan meets in Tehran with Russian, Iranian leaders

The presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran are expected to focus on the peace process in Syria, but the blockade of Ukrainian ports will top the agenda between Ankara and Moscow.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Erdogan woos Turkish youth by canceling interest on student loans

The president’s move, first suggested by the opposition, follows protests by thousands of students over the exorbitant interest on student loans.