Analysis Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan The proposed framework faces major hurdles and fault lines, ranging from NATO constraints to Israeli opposition and weak military integration. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Turkey’s Baykar tests K2 swarm kamikaze drones for first time: What to know Baykar tested its K2 and new loitering drones, featuring AI-driven swarm capabilities and the ability to operate under GPS jamming. Turkey
Newsletter: City Pulse Istanbul Contemporary art takes over restored Byzantine cistern Also this week: Istanbul rooftops, Balat’s art scene and women-led cinema By Nazlan Ertan In Izmir and Istanbul, reporting on culture
Trump envoy Barrack’s embrace of 'strong leaders' sparks fury in Turkey Turkish opposition members say envoy Tom Barrack’s remarks praising “strong leaders” and monarchies undermine Turkey’s democratic tradition and embolden President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Analysis Italy’s TB3 drone deal signals turn toward Turkey amid US-NATO tensions By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: Turkey Turkey eyes gains as US exits Syria By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Newsletter: City Pulse Istanbul Izmir opens new art center backed by Centre Pompidou By Nazlan Ertan In Izmir and Istanbul, reporting on culture
The (de-)evolution of Turkey's Foreign Ministry Career diplomats and Foreign Ministry bureaucrats have been shoved aside and demoralized by the conduct of Turkey's foreign policy under Justice and Development Party governments. Turkey
Erdogan urges Maduro to 'stand tall' Turkey’s president remains a strong defender of Venezuela’s embattled leader, calling Nicolas Maduro a democratically elected leader who must be respected. Turkey
Putin, Erdogan agree on Idlib but maneuver on Kurds While Moscow and Ankara agreed to reinforce cooperation on Idlib to fight Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Putin's proposal on the "buffer zone" in Syria's northeast sent Erdogan home thinking, at least until the next round of Astana talks Syria
Erdogan-Putin Syria meeting commences in Moscow Talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's Vladimir Putin appeared to start out on a warm note today and are likely centering on the future of Idlib as well as US plans to create a safe zone in Kurdish-dominated northeastern Syria. Syria
First Russian female running for mayor of Turkish city Russian-born Anastasia Petrova Cetinkaya is running for mayor of Turkey's southern resort city of Alanya in a bid to better serve residents and strengthen the two countries' bilateral relations. Turkey
Turkey seeks life sentence against US Consulate employee A Turkish national and liaison officer for the DEA at the US Consulate in Istanbul has been indicted for espionage. Turkey
Ankara set to boost naval posture with major exercise Turkey may be planning an ambitious air-naval military drill that would span three seas. Palestine
Turkey names 'water czar' to ease disputes with Iraq In an ambitious bid to tackle water-sharing tensions with Iraq, a special envoy appointed by the Turkish president plans to travel soon to Baghdad to present a road map of cooperation. Iraq
Is new energy league an alliance against Ankara? A Cairo-based partnership among Egypt, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority is ready to explore energy sources in the eastern Mediterranean — whether Turkey likes it or not. Palestine
Egypt’s oldest Arabic calligraphy school struggles to survive Many institutes of calligraphy simply closed their doors when the Egyptian government stopped subsidizing them, but one school persists. Egypt
Erdogan seeks lifeline from Putin in Syria The Turkish president will discuss Syria with his Russian counterpart in Moscow this coming week, as Qatar's Sheikh Tamim takes spotlight in Beirut. Saudi Arabia