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Turkey

Turkey

August 20, 2026

Ankara 5:37 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

Syrian government forces monitor the northern Syrian town of Tel Rifaat on March 28, 2018.

The stumbling blocks facing Turkey’s new operation plan in Syria

Kobani, Manbij and Tel Rifaat stand out as the main targets in a prospective new Turkish operation in northern Syria, but Erdogan might narrow his objectives to avoid tensions with the United States.

Erdogan

Analysis

Biden didn’t go to Turkey, and things aren’t okay with Erdogan

The Turkish president announces plans for another invasion of Syria, while digging in on rejecting admitting Sweden and Finland to NATO.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Women's art exhitbit

Culture

Istanbul art exhibit celebrates Turkey’s groundbreaking female artists

“I-You-They: A Century of Artist Women,” at Istanbul’s Mesher gallery, explores early artists who have largely been neglected in the canon, inviting today’s artists to re-examine their roots.

Turkey women

Turkish women's rights activists decry racism in their name

Dozens of Turkey’s grassroots women rights groups issued a statement against racism and anti-immigrant sentiment, only to face angry reaction from many parts of the political spectrum.

Turkish military tanks drive past the town of Ariha on the M4 highway in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province on May 7, 2020.

US, Kurdish officials call Turkish threats of military operation in Syria 'serious'

Ankara's threats come amid a spat with NATO allies over Finland and Sweden’s request to join the Western alliance.

Dogan

AKP municipalities tone down the volume on Kurd-Pop in Turkey

Cultural events, from Kurdish-language concerts to performances of daring female stars in mini dresses, become the targets of a proxy war between the nationalist-conservatives and liberals.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

New Islamic State leader reportedly caught in Turkey

Islamic State leader Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi has been reportedly arrested in Istanbul, but the news has not yet been independently confirmed.

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Turkey’s opposition claims millions funneled to US through foundations close to president

CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu claims President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to leave Turkey in event of election defeat.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki (R) and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attend a press conference after meeting in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on May 24, 2022.

Turkey's top diplomat visits Palestine

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with his counterpart Riad al-Maliki in Ramallah and reaffirmed support for a Palestinian state before his next meeting with Israeli leaders.

Mitsotakis

Erdogan writes off Greece’s Mitsotakis, maintains stance on NATO expansion

Enraged by the Greek premier’s remarks to US Congress against arms sales to Turkey, Erdogan denounces Greece, along with Sweden and Finland, for supporting terrorism.

KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's NATO obstinance threatens more than Nordic membership

From the vantage point of the West, giving in to Ankara’s demands from Finland and Sweden amounts to letting an autocrat design the security architecture of Europe.

Egypt's Deputy Foreign Minister Hamdi Sanad Loza (background) meets with his Turkish counterpart Sedat Onal (Foreground).

Turkey's foreign policy reset sign of Brotherhood's dwindling influence

In addition to economic concerns, the Muslim Brotherhood's dwindling influence in the region and new regional order emerged after the Abraham Accords forced Ankara to mend ties with Egypt.