Newsletter: Turkey SDF’s Kobane says Ankara trip in the works Mazlum Kobane says he could travel to Turkey and potentially meet jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Trump says removing Iran’s uranium is more about optics Trump downplays Iran uranium removal after China talks, the UAE moves to bypass Hormuz and Iraq ends months of political deadlock. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Interview Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future. Mazloum Kobane SDF commander in chief
Turkey, Armenia to launch direct trade in normalization push: What to know The move removes a decades-old reexport mechanism routed largely through Georgia as Ankara and Yerevan step up normalization efforts. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Trump rejects Iran's latest proposal By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Erdogan hails 'new phase' in Turkey-UK ties with trade agreement Turkey and the United Kingdom's increasing discord with the European Union make them natural partners. Turkey
Turkey sticks to its guns on Russian S-400s despite US sanctions Voices are growing louder in Turkey questioning why these systems were ever purchased, considering the headaches they have caused for Ankara. Turkey
Turkish journalist sentenced to prison over report on Turkey sending weapons to Syria Can Dundar was tried in absentia. The now Germany-based journalist reported on Turkish support for Syrian rebel groups in 2015, which angered President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
New draft law seeks to paralyze Turkish civil society Groups across the ideological spectrum say the law, aimed at keeping Turkey from being blacklisted by the international money laundering watchdog, includes articles that will severely hamper their work. Turkey
Erdogan blasts European court's ruling on jailed Kurdish leader The European Court of Human Rights said the imprisonment of Selahattin Demirtas had violated his basic rights. Turkey
Turkish Parliament extends troop deployment to Libya The measure, which extends Turkey's presence in Libya by 18 months, had the backing of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party. Turkey
PKK remains thorn in side of Turkish-Iraqi relations The Iraqi government needs Turkey to counterbalance Iran and help alleviate Baghdad's economic problems, but the Kurdish issue, which has long strained bilateral ties, might further snag progress in economic and strategic projects. Iraq
Russia treads lightly in Syrian deadlock Moscow is reacting with marked restraint to the escalation around Ain Issa, even seeming to play along with Ankara, though Turkey and the Syrian National Army have no reason to conduct offensive operations in the area. Syria
Mountain of debt growing under the rug in Turkey Turkey’s loan expansion has helped resuscitate the economy, but at the expense of an alarming surge in consumer and corporate debt. Turkey
Europe human rights court calls on Turkey to release Demirtas Europe’s top human rights court ruled Wednesday for the "immediate release" of Selahattin Demirtas, former co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), who has been imprisoned for more than four years in Turkey on terror-related charges. Turkey
Germany opposes arms embargo against Turkey Greece has called for European leaders to apply stronger pressure on Ankara over its actions in the eastern Mediterranean, but the appeals have largely fallen on deaf ears. Turkey
Is Turkey on course of foreign policy shift with pan-Turkist flavor? Ankara appears to be mulling a US-friendly foreign policy revision to counter Iran and Russia in the Caucasus and Black Sea regions, but such a shift will not be without geopolitical risks elsewhere. Turkey