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Turkey

September 14, 2026

Ankara 7:26 pm

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People swim next to the Russian-flagged cargo ship OMSKIY-107, which was attacked off the Black Sea coast and eventually ran aground off the shore of the Sile district, Istanbul, Sept. 3, 2026.

Why Turkey has few options to protect Black Sea shipping

The Russia-Ukraine drone war is hitting Turkish commercial interests, exposing the limits of Ankara’s ability to protect shipping while remaining outside the conflict.

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities gather during a rally to recruit more fighters in Sanaa on Sept. 10, 2026.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia's Houthi crisis tests alliances with Trump, Turkey and Pakistan

As the Houthis tighten their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb, Saudi Arabia is turning to new regional alliances while Washington resists calls to intervene.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Turkey’s defense giants court Egypt at Alamein Airshow: What to know

El Alamein International Airshow

Russia to give Turkey preferential fertilizer access amid Hormuz supply crunch

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek on September 1, 2026. (Photo by Kristina Solovyova / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Turkish ceramicist Leyla Borovali shapes Aegean heritage into clay

Leyla Borovali at her studio overlooking the Aegean

Analysis

With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones

TAI Hurjet

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Kurds take part in a demonstration calling for the release of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, in Strasbourg, eastern France, February 16, 2013. REUTERS/Jean-Marc Loos (FRANCE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR3DVAH

Ocalan Scoop Stirs Turkish Media

Namik Durukan's scoop in Milliyet about the meeting between the Kurdish deputies and imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has provoked a debate about journalistic ethics and practice, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan listens during a news conference after the opening session of the fifth United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Forum in Vienna February 27, 2013. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3ECGF

Is Erdogan 'Anti-Zionist'?

Mustafa Akyol writes that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's comments on Zionism should be understood and analyzed in a Turkish, not just international, context.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan arrives for the fifth United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) forum in Vienna, February 27, 2013. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3ECAG

Erdogan Slammed for Comments On Zionism

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, on a visit to Turkey, joined Western leaders in criticizing Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's inflammatory rhetoric on Israel equating Zionism to crimes against humanity, reports Tulin Daloglu.

Pro-Kurdish politicians Sirri Sureyya Onder (C), Pelvin Buldan (L) and Altan Tan (R), get on a boat to travel Imrali island in Istanbul February 23, 2013. A delegation of pro-Kurdish politicians left for Imrali island to meet with imprisoned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. Turkey launched tentative negotiations with PKK leader Ocalan in his jail on Imrali island near Istanbul in October, drawing up a framework to end a conflict which has killed more than 40,000 people. The delegation,

Ocalan Peace Plan Irks PKK Militant Leaders

Both PKK militants and Turkish officials and politicians committed to the negotiations with Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan are worried that the leaked letters might undermine the process, writes Ilnur Cevik.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan at Ankara Palace in Ankara, March 1, 2013. Kerry said on Friday the United States found a comment by Turkey's prime minister, likening Zionism to crimes against humanity, "objectionable", overshadowing their talks on the crisis in neighbouring Syria. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3EG91

Erdogan’s Double Standards

Shlomi Eldar offers a reminder of the Armenian genocide in asserting that accusations against Zionism by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan exhibit hatred and hypocrisy.

Pro-Kurdish politicians Sirri Sureyya Onder (R), Pelvin Buldan (L) and Altan Tan (C), are surrounded by media members before leaving for Imrali island in Istanbul February 23, 2013. A delegation of pro-Kurdish politicians left for Imrali island to meet with imprisoned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. Turkey launched tentative negotiations with PKK leader Ocalan in his jail on Imrali island near Istanbul in October, drawing up a framework to end a conflict which has killed more than 40,0

Ocalan Signals Openness to Talks With Turkey on Kurdish Issue

Cengiz Candar interprets news reports about the meeting between members of the Peace and Democracy Party and PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan at the prison on Imrali island where he is serving a life sentence.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan at Ankara Palace in Ankara, March 1, 2013. Kerry said on Friday the United States found a comment by Turkey's prime minister, likening Zionism to crimes against humanity, "objectionable", overshadowing their talks on the crisis in neighbouring Syria. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3EG8P

Kerry Response to 'Zionist' Remark Met With Coolness in Turkey

US Secretary of State John Kerry's public response to remarks by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan on Zionism engendered some coolness from the Turkish prime minister during their first meeting, writes Clovis Maksoud.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan arrives for the fifth United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) forum in Vienna, February 27, 2013. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3ECAG

Ocalan Negotiations Impact Future of Turkish Presidency

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s negotiations with Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), are not just over a peace agreement; they have implications for the future of the Turkish presidency, writes Kadri Gursel.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu pauses during the 49th Conference on Security Policy in Munich February 3, 2013. Senior politicians along with the leader of the Syrian opposition are in Munich providing a rare opportunity for talks to revive efforts to end the civil war in Syria. REUTERS/Michael Dalder (GERMANY - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTR3DALG

The 'Sunnification' Of Turkish Foreign Policy

Turkey once hoped to be a peace broker in the region, but is now increasingly seen as inflaming sectarian divisions and instability, writes Semih Idiz.

sibel piece.jpg

Parents Get on Board With Turkey's LGBT Movement

A new documentary reveals that parents of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in Turkey are speaking out for the first time in support of their children, marking a new milestone for the movement in the country, writes Sibel Utku Bila.

Turkey’s National Action Party Resists Peace with PKK

The National Action Party (MHP) is poised to oppose peace with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on the grounds that it will compromise Turkish identity, writes Caleb Lauer.

Pro-Kurdish politicians Sirri Sureyya Onder (3rd R), Pelvin Buldan (2nd R) and Altan Tan (R), are surrounded by media members before leaving for Imrali island in Istanbul February 23, 2013. A delegation of pro-Kurdish politicians left for Imrali island to meet with imprisoned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. Turkey launched tentative negotiations with PKK leader Ocalan in his jail on Imrali island near Istanbul in October, drawing up a framework to end a conflict which has killed more t

Ocalan's Words Expose Risks To PKK-Turkey Peace Plan

Kadri Gursel writes on how the letters of Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned head of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), signal both a first step in building confidence and the difficulties to achieving a final agreement.