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Turkey

Turkey

June 17, 2026

Ankara 12:14 am

17°C

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

People take part in a demonstration to call for the liberation of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan outside the European Council in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Sept. 15, 2025.

Analysis

PKK leader Ocalan gains legitimacy in Turkey, bigger sway over Syria’s Kurds

The ongoing deadlock between Damascus and the SDF is seen as a major obstacle to progress in Turkey’s efforts to address its long-standing Kurdish issue.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s spy chief holds talks in Egypt over trapped Hamas militants

Turkey’s spy chief met with Qatari, Egyptian officials as the Gaza ceasefire process stalls over Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels.

cartoons

Culture

Turkey’s graphic-novel culture blossoms in face of censorship

A fragile but growing ecosystem of artists, editors and cross-border collaborations is reshaping Turkey’s graphic-novel landscape under tight political and economic constraints.

A villager stands at a high point to survey the damage to the hill sides by quarrying in Ikizdere in the Rize Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey on June 7, 2021. A government-friendly company plans to extract 20 million tons of stone from a quarry in the northeastern town of Ikizdere for one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's latest development projects. The locals are rising up in protest, challenging the government and its priorities in a region dear to the domineering Turkish leader's heart. (Ph

Culture

Can AI save Turkey’s endangered Laz language?

With few young speakers and little official support, activists are turning to artificial intelligence to help preserve one of Turkey’s endangered languages: Laz.

Turkey secures COP31 climate summit after compromise with Australia: What to know

The agreement follows a two-year diplomatic tug-of-war between Ankara and Canberra to host the global event.

NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images

Fidan's confidant Nuh Yilmaz appointed ambassador to Syria, first in 13 years: What to know

Yilmaz’s formal appointment follows the UN’s lifting of sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa as Ankara pushes for coordination with Washington and Damascus on the Syrian dossier.

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Erdogan’s top ally Bahceli slams foot-dragging on meeting with PKK leader

The nationalist leader criticized the parliamentary committee for dragging its feet on a meeting with the jailed PKK leader, as Turkey’s president and his ruling party remain silent.

An Israel Air Force F-35 fighter lands during the "Blue Flag" multinational air defence exercise at the Ovda air force base, north of Eilat, Israel, Oct. 24, 2021.

Analysis

Trump’s Saudi F-35 deal jolts Israel’s security elite, weakens Netanyahu

The expected sale to Saudi Arabia of American stealth F-35 jets, as well as their sale to Turkey, deeply worries Israel’s security apparatus.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Turkey to navigate enduring Iranian influence in Iraq following elections

Ankara will have to navigate Iran-aligned factions’ influence in Iraq while safeguarding strategic ties and ongoing cooperation with Baghdad.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JUNE 01: People carry a large Palestinian flag during a protest to express support for Palestinians in Gaza outside the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque on June 01, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey. Protests continue as talks between Hamas, Israel and the U.S continue to seek a ceasefire deal and negotiate for a permanent end to the war. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Analysis

Turkey's Gaza ambitions grow as Israel's pushback hardens: Can US mediate?

Ankara is expanding its influence in Gaza through aid and mediation amid Israeli wariness, heightening tensions that the United States is working to keep in check.

Rina Bassist

Ezgi Akin

By Rina Bassist , Ezgi Akin