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Turkey

Turkey

October 20, 2026

Ankara 9:24 am

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Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Turkey's defense industry set to hit $20B in new contracts in 2026

The expanding defense industry sector has also become a foreign-policy tool for Ankara, deepening military partnerships with countries including Saudi Arabia.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a press conference in Tehran on November 30, 2025.

Analysis

Turkey turns to Iran to contain Houthis as Saudi defense commitments grow

Ankara is trying to contain the fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis through Tehran’s help, but Iran may see an advantage in allowing the Houthis to maintain pressure on the kingdom.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Mihrac Ural, who was also known as Ali Kayali, was arrested

Explainer

Syria arrests Mihrac Ural, ex-Assad militia head also wanted by Turkey

The Turkey-born militia chief and a longtime ally of the Assad-regime, was sought by Ankara over the deadly Reyhanli bombings and by Damascus over his alleged role in massacres on the Mediterranean coast.

Abandoned cars piled up among debris and standing water following extremely heavy rainfall, Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 15, 2026.

Turkey: Flash floods kill 3, paralyze Istanbul after record downpour

Heavy rains stranded hundreds, blocking major roads and disrupting air and public transportation, flooding buildings and forcing school closures across Istanbul province.

Latest News

Explainer

Why Israel, Armenia don't benefit from hijab spat between Turkey, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attend the inaugural meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) at Prague Castle on Oct. 6, 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Live Updates

Turkey seizes opposition Halk TV as crackdown widens: What to know

Serhan Asker, General Program Coordinator at Halk TV, makes a statement outside the Ankara branch of Turkey's most-watched news channel, Halk TV.

Iran mum as Azerbaijan’s school hijab ban, Israel ties test alliance with Turkey

A shop owner assists one of his customers at Malta bazaar in the Fatih district in Istanbul, on Dec. 6, 2024.

Explainer

PKK pulls out of Metina in northern Iraq amid Turkey peace process

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters arrive in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk on May 14, 2013, after leaving Turkey as part of a peace drive with Ankara.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a joint press conference with his Swedish counterpart in Ankara on Dec. 22, 2022.

Turkish, Syrian FMs could meet soon as diplomatic thaw gains steam

The top Turkish diplomat said Saturday that he could meet with his Syrian counterpart in mid-January.

Syria Idlib

Turkey, Syrian government may cooperate on the ground

Turkey is considering cooperating with the Syrian government in rebel-held Syrian territories after the first high-level talks between Turkey and the Syrian government in Moscow this week.

Omar Havana/ Getty Images

Turkish-Syrian normalization continues as top diplomats meet

Turkey's foreign minister says Ankara wants to cooperate with the Syrian regime but will not let that get in the way of its fight against terrorism.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

2022 in review: Turkey wraps up year of regional resets but more whiplash ahead

As 2022 forced the Turkish government to reverse course with regional powers, this election year is expected to usher in even more change in Turkey’s foreign policy.

Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar holds a joint press conference with the UN Secretary-General at the Joint Coordination Center established in Istanbul for the safe shipment of grain products from the Black Sea region in Istanbul on Aug. 20, 2022.

Turkish, Syrian defense chiefs hold landmark meeting in Russia

The defense ministers' meeting in Moscow was the first official engagement between Damascus and Ankara in more than a decade.

Meral Aksener, the leader of the Iyi Party and the only female chairman at the opposition's Table of Six, addresses women on Dec. 25, 2022.

Turkish leaders woo women voters as election year closes in

The Turkish government and right-wing parties are making a hard sell of their policies on women’s issues from domestic violence to child abuse.

Protesters hold roses while taking part in a demonstration to pay tribute to the Enghien Street shooting victims in Paris on Dec. 23, 2022.

Turkey urges France to ban PKK 'propaganda' after Paris shooting

Summoning France’s ambassador, Turkey expresses concern regarding "anti-Turkish propaganda" in Paris demonstrations.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey calls for more action, not words, from Sweden 

Turkey's foreign minister has told his Swedish counterpart that while Ankara welcomes the steps Sweden has taken to get Turkey’s nod for NATO membership, they are not even “halfway” toward fulfilling Stockholm's commitments.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Turkey raises minimum wage, keeps interest rates unchanged

Inflation is running rampant in Turkey, but the president continues to stubbornly reject higher interest rates.

A Tesla office on April 20, 2022, in Fremont, Cal.

Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company Tesla hiring in Turkey

The US electric vehicle maker already has a presence in Jordan and Israel and could soon launch in Turkey, where Musk has a good relationship with President Erdogan.

Imamoglu

Turkey's media board fines TV chains for Imamoglu coverage

Three channels were given harsh penalties for criticizing the Istanbul mayor's prison sentence and politics ban and for questioning Erdogan’s economic policies.

Turkey's main opposition party chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu and Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, meet in an attempt to dispel rumors of rivalry over which of them will become the presidential candidate.

Opposition rallies around Istanbul mayor as Turks reel from conviction

Polls find that most Turks, including a sizable number of supporters of the ruling party and its nationalist ally, see the prison sentence and political ban against Istanbul’s charismatic mayor as unfair and politically motivated.