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Turkey

Turkey

April 28, 2026

Ankara 4:55 am

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Turkey's submarines and fast-attack craft ships participate in the live-fire phase of the Blue Homeland-2026 (Mavi Vatan) tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Turkey’s military spending jumps to $30B, leads Mideast growth in 2025

Newly released data shows Ankara’s military spending hit $30 billion, while Saudi Arabia remained the region’s top spender and Israel’s outlays declined in 2025.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the margins of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, on April 17, 2026.

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan

The proposed framework faces major hurdles and fault lines, ranging from NATO constraints to Israeli opposition and weak military integration.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

CORLU, TURKEY- MARCH 2: A B model of Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA (Assault Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in the sky on March 2, 2022 in Corlu, Turkey. (Photo by Baykar Press Office/dia images via Getty Images)

Turkey’s Baykar tests K2 swarm kamikaze drones for first time: What to know

Baykar tested its K2 and new loitering drones, featuring AI-driven swarm capabilities and the ability to operate under GPS jamming.

Latest News

Trump envoy Barrack’s embrace of 'strong leaders' sparks fury in Turkey

US Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a meeting with President Donald Trump and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 25, 2025, in Washington, DC.

How Syria's border opening with Iraq redefines Turkey-Kurd balance

Members of Iraq's security forces stand guard on the the al-Rabia border crossing with Syria on April 20, 2026.

Analysis

Italy’s TB3 drone deal signals turn toward Turkey amid US-NATO tensions

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shake hands during the press conference following their meeting at Villa Doria Pamphilj, on April 29, 2025, in Rome, Italy.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

A Turkish military convoy drives through the village of Iblin, near Ariha in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province on October 20, 2020 after vacating the Morek post in Hama's countryside. - Turkey started withdrawing from one of its largest outposts in northwest Syria encircled for the past year by Syrian regime forces, a war monitor and a pro-Ankara rebel commander said. The outpost in Morek is Turkey's largest in the northwest province of Hama, which is now mostly under Syrian government control.

Turkish forces withdraw from largest base in northeast Syria

Ankara has begun pulling back forces and equipment from an observation post long surrounded by regime forces in Syria’s northeast Idlib province.

Supporters of right-wing nationalist Ersin Tatar celebrate his win in the presidential election in the northern part of Nicosia, the capital of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on October 18, 2020. - Right-wing nationalist Ersin Tatar, backed by Ankara, scored a surprise victory in a run-off presidential election in breakaway northern Cyprus, ousting pro-reunification incumbent Mustafa Akinci. (Photo by Birol BEBEK / AFP) (Photo by BIROL BEBEK/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey-backed president's election to reshape negotiations in North Cyprus

Northern Cypriots elected right-wing nationalist Ersin Tatar in runoff presidential elections Sunday, likely drawing a new path for peace talks and energy-revenue sharing negotiations amid rising regional tensions.

Turkey' fears further downward spiral in relations with Saudi Arabia

Ankara worries that the "unofficial boycott" is just the start of increased acrimony with Riyadh.

Turkey approaches point of no return on employing Russian air defense system

Ankara’s decision to test-fire its controversial Russian missiles, overriding US warnings, appears driven by a combination of motives related to its ties with both Washington and Moscow.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - SEPTEMBER 21: Second grade teacher Meltem Capkin sits in an empty classroom while conducting an online class at the Florya Ugur College on September 21, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. For the first time since schools closed on March 16, due to the coronavirus outbreak, kindergarten and first grade students were allowed to return for in-person classes at schools across Turkey. The one day a week classes are voluntary and restarted amid strict coronavirus precautions. As coronavirus cases contin

Remote learning widens educational gap between Turkey’s rich, poor

Millions of students in Turkey have been effectively left out of remote learning by a lack of resources.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY: A shop keeper shows a legally produced Turkish Raki in Istanbul 03 March 2005. The deaths of nine people from bootleg liquor has sparked panic in Istanbul drinking establishments, with many bar owners blaming higher taxes on alcoholic beverages by a government with Islamist roots for the emergence of illegal liquor factories. AFP PHOTO/Mustafa Ozer (Photo credit should read MUSTAFA OZER/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkish boozers resist alcohol restrictions — sometimes at deadly risk

An avalanche of taxes has made raki, Turkey’s national drink, a luxury product, fueling the proliferation of bootleg liquor with deadly consequences.

Armenian-Americans hold signs and flags as they protest against the conflict between Azerbaijan and the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh and Turkey's support for Azerbaijan in front of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on October 15, 2020. - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced hope Thursday that Armenia would "defend" itself against Azerbaijan, appearing to show sympathy to one side over the fierce clashes. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

Pompeo hopes Armenia can 'defend' itself from Azerbaijan

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said that Turkey was increasing the risk of more bloodshed.

ANKARA, TURKEY - NOVEMBER 25: The S-400 air defence system from Russia is activated for testing at Turkish Air Force's Murdet Air Base on November 25, 2019 in Ankara, Turkey. Turkey purchased the anti-aircraft weapons system from Russia over the objections of the United States, which has threatened to sanction Turkey and exclude it from its F-35 fighter jet program. The U.S. fears that the F-35, which is designed to evade such anti-aircraft systems, will be compromised if Turkey deploys both. (Photo by Gett

Intel: Missile launched on Turkey's Black Sea coast after notice of S-400 test

Turkey's Defense Ministry has not publicly confirmed if the missile was part of planned tests of the Russian-built air defense system.

The minesweeper Akcay of the Naval Forces of Turkey enters the harbour of the Russian port of Novorossiysk on March 6, 2019. - Two Turkish warships minesweeper Akcay and corvette Burgazada participate in "The Blue Motherland - 2019" military exercises in the Black sea. (Photo by STR / AFP) (Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Are Egypt-Russia naval drills in Black Sea message to Ankara?

For the first time, the Egyptian navy holds joint exercises in the Black Sea with Russia, at a time of escalating tensions with Turkey.

Senate Democrats urge Library of Congress to recognize Armenian genocide

Democratic Senators said the library should follow Congress and rebuke the Trump administration by referring to the killings of Armenians in Turkey in the early 20th century as a "genocide."

Health workers and doctors wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) hold placards reading "You cannot manage, we are dying - We are running out" during a demostration against goverments health policy on September 15, 2020 in front of Istanbul University medical faculty. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Erdogan demands new laws to reel in Turkish medical group

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged parliament to curb the influence of the Turkish Medical Association, which has been critical of the state’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why is Turkey absent from table despite being in field?

Turkey’s policy to use muscle to gain diplomatic clout has been marred by a series of miscalculations, failing to produce the desired results in the conflicts in Libya and the Caucasus.