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Turkey

Turkey

April 20, 2026

Ankara 4:30 pm

13°C

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shake hands during the press conference following their meeting at Villa Doria Pamphilj, on April 29, 2025, in Rome, Italy.

Analysis

Italy’s TB3 drone deal signals turn toward Turkey amid US-NATO tensions

Italy’s expected TB3 drone purchase highlights a rapidly deepening, interest-driven alignment with Turkey on defense and geopolitics.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Kurdish people waving Kurdistan flags gather to celebrate Nowruz on the hill of Urkesh in the countryside of Amuda in northeastern Syria on March 18, 2026. Nowruz, meaning "new day," is an ancient festival that marks the start of spring and the new year on the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20 or 21. It is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide and has been observed for over 3,000 years across regions including the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Eastern Euro

Analysis

Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?

Damascus is making limited but tangible progress in its engagement with Syrian Kurds, even as Ankara seeks to shape the terms of any settlement.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

At least 9 killed in Turkey’s second school shooting in 24 hours

YASIN AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Inside Turkey’s role in the US-Iran ceasefire

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) walks with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif upon his arrival during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on June 1, 2022. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

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

A woman and her dog look out from the window of their home as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Istanbul, Turkey, April 15, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC235G9RI3TN

Mayors, scientists call for lockdown as COVID-19 cases pass 74,000 in Turkey

The mayors of 11 Turkish cities and scientists tracking the coronavirus pandemic in Turkey say a full lockdown is needed in urban areas to avoid an exponential rise in new infections.

Iraq condemns Turkish strikes against PKK in Kurdistan region

Ankara claims it killed four PKK members in a Qandil mountains airstrike in Iraq northeast of Erbil, but Kurds report only physical damage there; Baghdad says Turkey did kill three civilians in Makhmour, to the southwest of Erbil.

Medical staff members applaud patients who are leaving from the Dicle University Hospital after recovering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Diyarbakir, Turkey, April 15, 2020. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RC235G92Y92U

Turkey says rate of coronavirus infection stabilizes

The health minister sees signs the fast-spreading contagion is coming under control as the number of new cases remains steady. But an independent physicians’ group warns the government may be undercounting.

Are there any partners for Turkey among radicals in Idlib?

The reopening of the M4 highway in Idlib remains a tall task for Turkey, which is grappling with how to remove jihadi groups from the area.

Syria’s Ras al-Ain to open trade crossing with Turkey

Turkey is constructing a border crossing linking the opposition-held city of Ras al-Ain in northeastern Syria with Turkish territory.

A view shows a new S-400 "Triumph" surface-to-air missile system after its deployment at a military base outside the town of Gvardeysk near Kaliningrad, Russia March 11, 2019. Picture taken March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Vitaly Nevar - RC11938EDE40

Intel: Turkey says S-400 stance unchanged despite US pressure

Turkey’s stance on its S-400s hasn’t changed, even as the United States appeared to dangle support in Syria in exchange for Ankara abandoning the controversial Russian missile defense systems, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday.

Paramedics escort a woman as she walks toward an ambulance during a two-day curfew which was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC263G9BX0NW

Amid pandemic, medical groups question Turkey’s weekend curfew approach

Health workers’ advocates say precautions in Turkey may not be sufficient to contain the coronavirus and safeguard workers as the country grapples with the fast-spreading pandemic.

Intel: Trump tasks Pompeo with determining whether to lift Cyprus arms embargo

Donald Trump tapped Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to determine whether to lift the decades-old US arms embargo on the disputed island of Cyprus, something Turkey has sought to forestall.

Turkey to release thousands of prisoners as coronavirus sweeps through jails

As COVID-19 ravages Turkish prisons, Ankara is pushing forward a law that will reduce the prison population by a third.

Is coronavirus good for health of Turkish-US relations?

The coronavirus could offer Recep Tayyip Erdogan an opportunity to defer a fresh crisis with Washington over the Russian S-400 air defense systems, which he had pledged to activate in April but whose cost has now grown on multiple fronts.

A general view shows the deserted Istiklal Street during a two-day curfew which was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, April 11, 2020. REUTERS//Umit Bektas - RC2H2G9Y460H

Reports of child abuse in Turkey spike amid pandemic

A prominent children's rights activist told Al-Monitor that complaints of child abuse incidents have doubled since the closure of the schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Israel and Turkey, first signs of warming up?

The recent publication over Turkey selling to Israel medical equipment to fight the coronavirus could signal a small, yet significant warming up of relations.