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Turkey

Turkey

May 13, 2026

Ankara 10:02 am

19°C

The helicopter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lands on Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on Aug. 9, 2022, before being sent for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Gazipasa.

New Turkey maritime draft bill fuels EastMed tensions with Greece, Cyprus

Turkey’s draft maritime bill seeks to formalize Ankara’s claims in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black seas, raising tensions with Greece and Cyprus over contested maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights.

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 06: A man poses for a photograph in front of the newly unveiled, Turkish made intercontinental ballistic missile Yildirimhan at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. The International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition, showcased Turkish and foreign companies new products and technology. The expo was dominated by UAV products as modern warfare increasingly shifts to drone and unmanned technologies. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Analysis

From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions

Turkey’s planned test of a 6,000-kilometer missile could boost Ankara’s defense industry prestige, strengthen its deterrence messaging and feed a powerful domestic narrative of technological self-reliance, but it also raises questions about cost, timing and NATO protection.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey, Japan launch defense industry partnership with eye on drones

People look at a drone on display at the Baykar exhibit at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

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 man enters the Bourse Istanbul in Istanbul December 17, 2013. Turkey's Bourse Istanbul could acquire a minority stake in Nasdaq OMX Group as part of a tie-up that will involve the Turkish exchange using Nasdaq's market technologies, its chairman Ibrahim Turhan said on December 31, 2013. Bourse Istanbul will buy stock trading and clearing software and infrastructure from Nasdaq OMX and will be able to use and resell the software in 25 countries, in a move designed to attract more trade from the world's lea

Foreigners put brakes on investment in Turkey

Foreigners invested only $9.1 billion in Turkey in the first nine months of the year, dashing hopes for a year-end total of $16 billion, while Turks invested $4.2 billion abroad.

Kurds draw pride from defense of Kobani

Al-Monitor's visit to the besieged Syrian Kurdish border town of Kobani found Kurdish fighters optimistic about their chances of reclaiming the town and expelling Islamic State forces.

Zaman editor-in-chief Ekrem Dumanli greets his supporters after being released by the court outside the Justice Palace in Istanbul December 19, 2014. A Turkish court kept a media executive and three other people in custody on Friday pending trial on accusations of belonging to a terrorist group, in a case which President Tayyip Erdogan has defended as a response to "dirty operations" by his enemies. Hidayet Karaca heads Samanyolu Television which is close to the president's ally-turned foe Fethullah Gulen,

WikiLeaks sheds light on Turkey’s mysterious ‘Annotators’

Were the "Annotators" really terrorists connected to al-Qaeda? Or were they victims of a conspiracy by the “parallel state”? WikiLeaks offers some hints.

Constitutional Court Chairman Hasim Kilic, the chief justice, addresses media in Ankara July 7, 2010. Turkey's top court rejected an appeal by the opposition to annul the whole of a government-backed reform package overhauling the constitution, but annulled some key parts of the package. The court's chairman Kilic told a news conference the reform charter, barring annulled parts, would go to a referendum as planned. The government says the reform will deepen democracy and help meet requirements for Turkey t

Turkey’s high court could pull rug from under AKP

Turkey's Constitutional Court is to rule on an electoral threshold issue that some believe could end the Justice and Development Party's 12-year rule.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini at the Kremlin in Moscow July 9, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Shipenkov/Pool (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3XUXK

EU decision boosts Russian, UN diplomacy on Syria

Russia, the United Nations and Iran lead diplomatic initiative in Syria; Iran and Turkey discuss counterterrorism; al-Qaeda-linked group advances in Syria; Aleppo’s radicalization; Hamas seeks to rebuild ties with Iran.

Riot police block a street leading to Presidential Palace of Cankaya as members of Turkish Youth Union (TGB) protest against president-elect Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara August 11, 2014. Erdogan began the process of picking his successor as prime minister on Monday, a figure he hopes will triumph in next year's general election and secure his goal of forging a powerful presidency.
REUTERS/Stringer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR420KI

Critics condemn AKP's tough police overhaul proposals

For some, the AKP-drafted internal security legislation is needed to preserve Turkey's public order; for others it is a chaos package that will allow arbitrary action by the state.

A Syrian woman (C) stands with her daughter near the Bosphorus on August 30, 2014, at Eminonu, in Istanbul. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)

Syrian authorities halt ferries to Turkey

It’s become even harder for Syrians to flee the war-ravaged country after Syrian authorities stopped the ferry service between Tartus and the Turkish port city of Mersin.

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu (C) arrives for a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara April 8, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3KEBO

Nepotism flourishes under AKP

Turkey’s main opposition party has revealed a list of government workers who got public jobs through corrupt channels and created a website for citizens to report other cases.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan addresses the Turkish Parliament during a debate marking the reconvene of the parliament in Ankara October 1, 2014. Turkey will fight against Islamic State and other "terrorist" groups in the region but will stick to its aim of seeing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad removed from power, Erdogan said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR48IMI

Erdogan continues to consolidate power

Turkey remains a parliamentary system under its present constitution, but there is little preventing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from taking steps to fulfill his ambition of becoming the country’s paramount leader.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (C) addresses his supporters upon his arrival to Ataturk Airport in Istanbul December 27, 2013. A Turkish court blocked a government attempt to force police to disclose investigations to their superiors, officials said on Friday, in a setback for Erdogan's attempts to manage fallout from a high-level corruption scandal. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW CIVIL UNREST) - RTX16V6A

Gulenists defeated on first anniversary of corruption probes

A year after the December 2013 corruption probes, Erdogan’s government continues to grapple with the ghosts of the covered-up scandals, while the Gulen community stands defeated in the open war it launched on the government through the probes.

Israeli attack intensifies Syrian anger, despair

Syrians on social media mock “right to respond”; US says Syrian rebels will not overthrow Assad; Syrian patriarch pleads for peace; Russia steps up diplomacy; Jumblatt sees no future for Assad; Turkey’s shadow government; Qatar and Turkey draw congressional ire over support for Hamas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) walks past a photographer at the Botas gas pumping station in Durusu near Turkey's Black Sea city of Samsun, November 17, 2005 during the inauguration of a gas pipeline "Blue Stream" carrying Russian gas to Turkey through Black Sea. REUTERS/Mustafa Ozer/Pool - RTR1B7TH

Energy deals may make Turkey irreversibly reliant on Moscow

Despite the celebratory sentiment in Ankara after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit, Turkey’s energy dependence on Russia is bound to further increase with nuclear power plant projects.