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Turkey

Turkey

June 17, 2026

Ankara 10:19 am

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Orthodox Patriarch of Bartholomew at the presidential complex, Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2026.

Culture

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary

The meeting comes ahead of US President Trump’s expected attendance at next month's NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey, after Trump personally urged his Turkish counterpart to reopen the Halki Seminary.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 22, 2026.

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Moscow as S-400 sanctions issue returns to fore

The visit comes weeks before Turkey hosts NATO leaders, on the sidelines of which Ankara hopes to reach a deal with Washington over CAATSA sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400s.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

The latest Erdogan-Netanyahu clash underscored how Turkey-Israel tensions have grown beyond the Palestinian issue and into a wider regional rivalry spanning Syria, Lebanon, Iran and the eastern Mediterranean.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Feature

Turkey’s World Cup return clouded by politics, dawn kickoffs

Turkey finally has the World Cup moment it waited 24 years for, but much of the country will either be asleep for it or arguing over efforts to claim it.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Latest News

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

Analysis

As Trump admin drops Halkbank case, S-400 last big hurdle in US-Turkey ties

Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile launching system is displayed at the exposition field in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow on Aug. 22, 2017 during the first day of the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2017.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a ceremony as he is flanked by top officials and army officers at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, marking Ataturk's death anniversary, in Ankara, Turkey November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1985BEED00

Turkey turns up heat on Saudis, shares recording of Khashoggi murder

The Turkish president discussed the Saudi journalist’s case with world leaders in Paris while Jamal Khashoggi’s friends gathered in Istanbul to honor his memory and demand justice.

Istanbul’s LGBTQ community finds pride on soccer field

LGBTQ visibility has reached an all-time low in Turkey but Atletik Dildoa, an Istanbul-based LGBTQ soccer team, wants to increase it through sports events.

Ovacık_Doğal.jpg

Turkey’s first 'communist' grocery chain goes global

Led by Turkey’s first and only communist mayor, the small town of Ovacik boasts a flourishing farming cooperative whose organic products have taken customers across the country by storm.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron hold hands at a news conference after a Syria summit, in Istanbul, Turkey October 27, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC16134E6CB0

Putin pivots to Europe for next play on Syria

Russian president intensifies diplomatic push; Erdogan goes "big" to leverage the Khashoggi murder with the Trump administration; Oman emerges as Israeli-Palestinian broker.

Turkey’s oil-and-gas drilling ship sails into eastern Mediterranean

Turkey announced the launch of an oil-and-gas drilling ship in the eastern Mediterranean amid tensions with several regional countries, including Egypt and Cyprus, over the energy wealth there.

Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak speaks during an event to announce his programme to fight inflation, in Istanbul, Turkey October 9, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC15CFC6CA30

Turkey's Finance Ministry, Moody's have opposite views on economy's direction

Moody's sees the Turkish economy as likely in recession, while Erdogan's son-in-law says positive results are on their way.

Turkey tests waters for new offensive against YPG

Turkey is itching to go on the offensive against Kurdish forces in areas east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria, but the US role in the area continues to act as a deterrence.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron pose after a news conference at the Syria summit in Istanbul, Turkey, October 27 2018. Maxim Shipenkov/Pool via REUTERS - RC18F59FDC40

What's behind Europe’s outreach to Erdogan?

Europe’s acceptance of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an interlocutor is driven by Turkey’s continuing strategic importance rather than any reflection on its president.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attend a news conference after a Syria summit, in Istanbul, Turkey October 27, 2018. Cem Oksuz/Pool via REUTERS - RC1C2A6030C0

Erdogan plays big: A grand bargain in Syria with Trump and Putin?

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plays a big gambit with American and Russian counterparts, but can he win?

Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army fighters remove a picture of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan in Kafr Jana village north of Afrin, Syria March 7, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1E52C8D060

Turkey praises 'overdue' US bounties for PKK leaders

Ankara is pleased with Washington's offer of high bounties for three top Kurdistan Workers Party leaders, but the move won't buy forgiveness for the US alliance with Syrian Kurds.

A man buys vegetables in a market in Ankara, Turkey, June 25, 2018. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov - RC1D5FE8F510

Turkey's skyrocketing food prices show no sign of slowing

Ill-advised policies over the decades have reduced Turkey to a net food importer despite its significant agricultural potential, fueling a dramatic increase in food prices that deals the hardest blows to the poorest citizens.

Syrian Democratic Forces and U.S. troops are seen during a patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC1E38C9BA00

Erdogan slams US-Kurdish patrols near Syria border

In a speech to parliament, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chastised the United States for supporting Kurdish militias in Syria and reimposing “imperialist” sanctions on Iran.