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Turkey

May 2, 2026

Ankara 9:31 am

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Members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), from the British Army's 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, No. 2 Company, patrol along the buffer zone separating the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the divided capital Nicosia on Feb. 17, 2026.

Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know

A potential French deployment to Greek Cyprus comes amid Turkey’s growing concerns of strategic encirclement in the Eastern Mediterranean.

This aerial photograph shows Turkey's first floating natural gas production platform, "Osman Gazi," passing through the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, on May 29, 2025.

Turkey advances gas pipeline plan to northern Cyprus as East Med rivalry grows

The Turkish energy minister said the country's oil and natural gas pipeline operator, BOTAS, has started the engineering work for the pipeline.

Cadets of the Saiqa Force (Special Forces) of the self-styled Libyan National Army affiliated with eastern strongman Khalifa Hifter take part in a graduation ceremony in tribute to the force's late commander, Wanis Bukhamada, in the eastern city of Benghazi, on Jan. 20, 2022.

In first, Libya’s rival armies to join drill in Turkey: What to know

The move follows the first joint exercise inside Libya amid renewed international efforts to unify the country.

Latest News

Turkey’s military spending jumps to $30B, leads Mideast growth in 2025

Turkey's submarines and fast-attack craft ships participate in the live-fire phase of the Blue Homeland-2026 (Mavi Vatan) tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the margins of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, on April 17, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

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

CORLU, TURKEY- MARCH 2: A B model of Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA (Assault Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in the sky on March 2, 2022 in Corlu, Turkey. (Photo by Baykar Press Office/dia images via Getty Images)

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 general view shows the damaged Grand mosque in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, Syria, February 28, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTS10UF0

Turkish foundation helps Syrians recover from devastation of war

The Turkiye Diyanet Foundation is restoring mosques in the Syrian province of Aleppo, recruiting preachers and teachers and providing hundreds of job opportunities.

A street vendor selling watermelons talks on his mobile phone as he waits for customers at Taksim square in central Istanbul June 9, 2013. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan rallied his supporters in a string of defiant speeches on Sunday as tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators massed in Istanbul's central Taksim Square. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10HOC

Turks rediscover love for watermelon

Watermelon-loving Turks are discovering new benefits of the fruit, from fighting cancer to reducing impotence, and farmers who are seeing lower demand for their watermelon are hoping this translates to higher profits.

A member of Kurdish security forces stands guard in Sinjar region, Iraq August 2, 2017. Picture taken August 2, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem - RTS1A8QS

Turkey fumes as Sinjar Yazidis declare 'democratic autonomy'

Some Yazidis have announced their opposition to the Iraqi Kurdistan independence vote, as Turkey and Iran consider attacking the Yazidi-allied PKK in the Qandil Mountains.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) poses with European Council President Donald Tusk (R) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (L) in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RTX37KFD

Turkey-EU tensions spill over to customs union accord

Amid mounting bilateral tensions, Germany has ruled out talks on improving Turkey’s customs union accord with the European Union, but such sanctions might have little effect on Ankara in the short term.

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Turkey, Iran step up coordination in Syria

Once unthinkable, an emerging consensus is developing between Ankara and Tehran in Syria, as Washington and Moscow try to keep pace; Iraqi Kurdish sources signal that it could be possible to delay a Kurdish independence referendum for a “short time.”

No justice for trans Turkish woman murdered last year

A year after her death, the murder of Hande Kader is still unsolved and the push for LGBTI rights around it has quieted.

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, Mohammad Bagheri (R) is welcomed by Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces Hulusi Akar during his official visit at the Turkish General Staff headquarters in Ankara, on August 15, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran army chief's Turkey tour ends in promises of military cooperation

Regional rivals Turkey and Iran are exchanging visits by top officials, brought together by deeply ingrained fears that Western powers are covertly egging on their respective Kurdish populations to weaken and dismember them.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (L) shakes hands with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey October 10, 2016. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTSRMVB

Venezuela's Maduro finds solidarity in Turkey

When supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan look at the situation in Venezuela, they see a leader to be defended like their own instead of a situation to be avoided.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu gestures during a news conference at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium July 25, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Vidal - RTX3CUTU

Turkey squawks as KRG referendum nears

As regional and US pressure ramps up on Iraqi Kurds to postpone the independence referendum, Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani seems unlikely to crack.

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) stand near a U.S military vehicle in the town of Darbasiya next to the Turkish border, Syria April 28, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTS14EG4

Kurds plan ahead for shifting status in Syria

Syrian Kurds, worried by Turkey’s threat to enter Afrin and a possible rapprochement between Washington and Ankara, are firming up their plans for autonomy.

Meral Aksener (C), former interior minister and a lawmaker from Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), stands before the security barriers as police seal off a hotel, preventing dissidents from holding a party congress, in Ankara, Turkey, May 15, 2016. REUTERS/Tumay Berkin/File Photo - RTX2FHJV

This woman might be wild card who stops Erdogan

As Turkey's ruling political party struggles to revive its mojo, a challenger is rising who could take on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Erbil, Iraq July 6, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTX3AAQA

Turkey faces Kurdish quandary in Iraq, Syria

Ankara is finding it difficult to devise a holistic approach to the region’s Kurdish question.