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Turkey

Turkey

May 13, 2026

Ankara 12:05 pm

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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

Military personnel and policemen march during a parade for their graduation ceremony in Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad February 15, 2010. The "Golden Lions", a mixed squad consisting of U.S. military personnel, Iraqi and Peshmerga soldiers as well as policemen graduated from the academy in Kirkuk after finishing a month of training on Monday, police official said. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed (IRAQ - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTR2AAYS

Anti-IS coalition's 'train-and-equip' program not enough

The problem with the US-led coalition's "train-and-equip" program is not finding committed soldiers willing to fight but rather finding dedicated, capable leaders to command them.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the parliament in Ankara January 14, 2014. Erdogan looks to have the upper hand in a civil war rocking Turkey's political establishment, but his bid to break the influence of a potent Islamic cleric could roll back reforms and undermine hard-won business confidence. What erupted a month ago as a damaging inquiry into alleged government corruption has spiralled into a battle over the judi

Prominent Islamic scholar accuses AKP of corruption

The widely respected Hayrettin Karaman, a key supporter of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, has openly criticized the ruling elite as corrupt.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople (2L) accompanies Pope Francis as he departs from Istanbul after a three day visit, November 30, 2014. Pope Francis said Islamic militants were carrying out a "profoundly grave sin against God" in Syria and Iraq, calling on Sunday for inter-religious dialogue and action against poverty to help end the conflicts there. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION) - RTR4G4WB

Pope Francis hopes for better ties between Turks, Armenians

Odds appear stacked against Pope Francis’ desire for the Turkish and Armenian nations to overcome their historic differences and achieve reconciliation.

British actor Daniel Craig poses during the presentation of the latest James Bond 007 film "Skyfall" at Ciragan Palace in Istanbul on April 29, 2012. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/GettyImages)

Turkey looks to lure Hollywood filmmakers

Seeking to attract European and American filmmakers to Turkey, the Culture and Tourism Ministry has drafted a bill to meet 25% of the costs of foreign productions shot there.

Turkish demonstrators shout anti-Israel slogans during a demonstration in Istanbul November 5, 2014. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR4D076

Israel: Turkey insincere about mending fences

Several emissaries are trying to reconcile Turkey and Israel, but the latter feels that resetting relations requires a sincere change of approach: an end to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's declarations against Israel and to his support for Hamas terror.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Chief of Staff General Hilmi Ozkok are accompanied by a female officer as thek walk past Turkish memorial in Gallipoli. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Chief of Staff General Hilmi Ozkok are accompanied by a female officer as they walk past Turkish memorial in Gallipoli, in western Turkey, March 18, 2005. Turkey marked today the 90th anniversary of the World War One battle which Turkish forces defeated allied forces in Dardanelles straits in 1915, cla

Turkey's women expand role in military

The Turkish army is witnessing a rapid increase of females in its ranks.

Newspapers are displayed at a newsstand on January 24, 2012 in the Karakoy neighborhood of Istanbul. Turkish newspapers criticized the January 23 vote by the French Senate making denial of the Armenian genocide a crime. The French Senate on January 23 approved, by 127 votes to 86, the measure which makes it an offence punishable by jail in France to deny that the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on January 24 slammed as discr

Turkey’s pro-Erdogan media purge

The unexpected dismissals of three top executives from two of Turkey’s key pro-Erdogan newspapers has led to questions about the power games in the ruling AKP.

A masked member of Hamas stands in front of a banner depicting Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during a protest in Central Gaza Strip June 4, 2010, against Israel's interception of Gaza-bound ships. Israeli marines stormed a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza on Monday and at least nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed, triggering a diplomatic crisis and an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR2ER4P

Turkey's Hamas 'bureau'

Hamas activist Saleh al-Arouri, previously expelled from Israel, found refuge in Turkey, where he managed to create a militant alternative to the movement’s splintered leadership.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (L) meets with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan at Beylerbeyi Palace in Istanbul November 22, 2014. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4F5NS

Erdogan slams US on Syria again, days after Biden visit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls US "impertinent" on Syria, says West likes seeing Muslim children die; Israel considers extension of Iran nuclear talks as better than a bad deal.

A staff adjusts European Union and Turkish (L) flags ahead of the arrival of Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (not pictured) at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels January 21, 2014. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir (BELGIUM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX17NSQ

Erdogan turns back on EU membership bid

Influential voices in Turkey are worried about the impression that Turkey and the EU are drifting apart and what this will do to Turkey’s political reform process.

A pile of simit, the traditional Turkish sesamed bread, is displayed for sale in Istanbul February 17, 2012. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: FOOD) - RTR2Y0AG

Turkish simits arrive in New York

A simit is no longer just ring-shaped sesame bread, but a subtle introduction to Turkish cuisine.

A medic examines a Kurdish Syrian refugee child inside a temporary medical facility for children on the Turkish-Syrian border near the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, in this September 24, 2014 file photo. Reuters photographers have chronicled Kurdish refugee crises over the years. In 1991 Srdjan Zivulovic documented refugees in Cukurca who had escaped a military operation by Saddam Hussein's government in Iraq aimed at "Arabising" Kurdish areas in the north. Hundreds of thousands fled int

Turkey's response to measles outbreak questioned

Some believe the Turkish government is downplaying a measles outbreak compounded by the arrival of Syrian refugees despite warnings by World Health Organization and Turkish medical experts.