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Turkey

July 9, 2026

Ankara 9:57 pm

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Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Turkey brokers intra-Somalia talks as federal rifts test Ankara’s influence

Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland and Jubaland states reportedly declined to join the talks, as Ankara is ramping up efforts to shore up support for Somalia’s federal institutions.

Getty Images

Trump 'undecided' on Turkey's F-35s as Congress seeks answers on S-400

Top Democratic lawmakers say the ball is in Ankara’s court on rejoining the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, but suggest that Turkey offshoring its Russian-made S-400 system won’t be enough.

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (R) shakes hands with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian during his visit in Yerevan on July 19, 2025. (Photo by KAREN MINASYAN / AFP) (Photo by KAREN MINASYAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Feature

Armenia's Pashinyan keeps Iran close while wooing Trump, Turkey and Azerbaijan

As Yerevan pursues normalization with Turkey and Azerbaijan and backs a US-led transport corridor, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is working to reassure an increasingly assertive Iran that its interests won't be threatened.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Trump declares MoU with Iran 'over' as Hegseth cancels trip to Israel

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not shown) for bilateral talks at Beştepe Presidential Compound during the NATO Summit on July 08, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Explainer

Why Trump bid to lift CAATSA sanctions on Turkey faces complicated path

US President Donald Trump walks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a state arrival ceremony at the Bestepe Presidential Complex for the annual NATO Summit on July 7, 2026 in Ankara, 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

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Syrian refugees as he visits a refugee camp near Akcakale border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border, southern Sanliurfa province, December 30, 2012. REUTERS/Kayhan Ozer/Prime Minister's Press Office/Handout (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR3BZG7

Erdogan Boxed In by Syria

Prime Minister Erdogan finds himself boxed in by his Syria policy, both in domestic politics and in dealing with a growing regional and humanitarian crisis, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Islamist fighters carry their flag during the funeral of their fellow fighter Tareq Naser, who died during clashes on Sunday, near the village of Fafeen in Aleppo's countryside September 17, 2012. REUTERS/Zain Karam (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTR382U8

Islamists in Syria Empowering PKK

The Islamization of the Syrian opposition is giving the PKK and its local affiliate, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a new source of strength and local support, writes Denise Natali.

Armenian women, members of Turkey's Armenian community, pray during a Sunday mass at the Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Church in Istanbul October 11, 2009. Turkey signed accords to normalise ties with Armenia in Switzerland on Saturday in a step towards ending a century of hostility. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY POLITICS RELIGION) - RTXPJ2K

Armenian Women in Istanbul Subject to Racist Attacks

The attacks on elderly Armenian women in Samatya show that racism is alive in Turkey as a latent threat, but also serves as a demonstration that Turkey now has a civil society that immediately stands up against racism, writes Cengiz Çandar.

Thousands attend the funeral ceremony of the three Kurdish activists shot in Paris, in Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, January 17, 2013. The bodies of the activists, including that of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) co-founder Sakine Cansiz, arrived by plane on Wednesday evening in Diyarbakir. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS OBITUARY CIVIL UNREST)

CHP Raises 'Turkish Question' In Dealing With Kurds

The Republican People’s Party has characterized a political solution to the Kurdish question as compromising Turkey’s secular national identity, writes Kadri Gursel.

Turkish soldiers patrol on the Turkish-Syrian border in Ceylanpinar, southern Sanliurfa province January 28, 2013. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTR3D2ZA

Turkey’s Syrian Dilemma

Turkey is struggling with a Syria policy that has served only to prolong the conflict, as Ankara finds itself at odds with Paris over both Mali and Syria, writes Semih Idiz.

A pro-Kurdish demonstrator covers her face as riot police prevent protestors from marching, at Taksim square in central Istanbul February 15, 2012. Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) held a protest to mark the 13th anniversary of the capture of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW) - RTR2XWBQ

Turkish Opposition Party Criticizes Kurdish Initiative

Turkish opposition leaders claim Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s talks with imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan lack transparency and a clear endgame, writes Tulin Daloglu.

A gendarme soldier stands in front of protesters as a Turkish flag with a portrait of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, flutters outside Silivri prison, some 70 km (43.5 miles) west of Istanbul, during the trial of a shadowy-right wing group taking place in the heavily-guarded prison, October 23, 2008. The trial of Ergenekon, a shadowy right-wing group, resumed in Turkey on Thursday on charges of trying to topple Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas (TURKEY) - R

Is the Turkish Military Getting a Fair Trial?

Tulin Daloglu questions whether the Turkish military is getting fair treatment.

A Turkish soldier takes up his position near the border with Syria at the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar, Sanliurfa province January 25, 2013. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTR3CXC6

Suicides Add to Turkish Army’s Troubles

Sibel Utku Bila writes that the rise of suicides in the Turkish army is a sign of deeper problems.

Turkish Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin (C) gestures while visiting a relief shelter campsite for earthquake victims, set up at a stadium, in Ercis October 29, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (TURKEY - Tags: DISASTER SOCIETY POLITICS) - RTR2TDXF

Kurds Welcome Change of Turkish Interior Minister

Kadri Gursel writes that Kurdish and other opposition groups are pleased with the replacement of Idris Naim Sahin as Turkish interior minister.

A Turkish riot police stands guard at the entrance of a courthouse in Istanbul February 25, 2010. Turkey's political and military leaders meet on Thursday as a storm gathers over a coup plot investigation against the armed forces which is threatening stability and investor confidence in the EU-candidate country. The most senior detainees, retired Air Force Commander Ibrahim Firtina and ex-navy chief Ozden Ornek, are brought to the court for questioning on Thursday. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POL

Selek Case a Travesty For Turkish Judiciary

Cengiz Candar describes the case and conviction of Pinar Selek as a low point for the Turkish judicial system.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (L), Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr (C) and Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi attend a news conference after a meeting regarding the Syrian crisis, in Cairo September 17, 2012. Saudi Arabia stayed away from a meeting on the Syria crisis convened by regional powers on Monday, setting back a forum grouping Iran - President Bashar al-Assad's main Middle East ally - and his leading opponents in the region. The "contact group" of Egypt, Iran, Turkey a

How Iran Lost Turkey’s Islamists

Mustafa Akyol explains the deterioration in Turkish-Iranian relations in the past three years, mostly as a result of differences over Syria.

Actress Songul Oden (C), who plays the main character in the Turkish soap opera "Noor", waves as she leaves after her visit to an Islamic orphan house in Beirut September 8, 2008. The show which flopped when first broadcast in its native Turkey three years ago has taken the Arab world by storm, provoking a flood of Gulf Arab tourists to Turkey that even includes royalty. Picture taken September 8, 2008. REUTERS/Hussam Shbaro (LEBANON)

Arabs Soak Up Turkish Soap Operas

Semih Idiz writes about the popularity of Turkish soap operas in the Arab world, and the reaction these shows are provoking in Turkey.