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April 29, 2026

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Cadets of the Saiqa Force (Special Forces) of the self-styled Libyan National Army affiliated with eastern strongman Khalifa Hifter take part in a graduation ceremony in tribute to the force's late commander, Wanis Bukhamada, in the eastern city of Benghazi, on Jan. 20, 2022.

In first, Libya’s rival armies to join drill in Turkey: What to know

The move follows the first joint exercise inside Libya amid renewed international efforts to unify the country.

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

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JANUARY 08: Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) talk onstage at the opening ceremony of the Turkstream Gas Pipeline Project on January 08, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. The TurkStream project comprises two underwater gas lines, each with an annual capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters. Gas will initially flow to Turkey, while a combination of existing and new pipelines will subsequently take supplies via Bulgaria to Serbia and then on to Hungar

Turkey, Russia agree to work for truce in Libya as regional rivalry heats up

Despite backing opposing sides, Moscow and Russia have pledged to work toward a cease-fire in the North African country in a conflict that is fueling a complex maze of rivalries across the region.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JULY 10: A woman gestures infront of a placard depicting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, also known as Mehmet the Conqueror, outside Istanbul's famous Hagia Sophia on July 10, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkey's top administrative court ruled to annul a 1934 decree that turned the historic Hagia Sophia into a museum. The controversial ruling opens the way for the structure to be converted back into a mosque after 85 years. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hande

Is Erdogan’s ability to turn superpower rivalry to advantage diminishing?

The only thing Ankara can rely on is that the US-Russian conflict will grow to the point where the need to work with Turkey will override any antipathy felt for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JULY 10: People gather for evening prayers outside Istanbul's famous Hagia Sophia on July 10, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkey's top administrative court ruled to annul a 1934 decree that turned the historic Hagia Sophia into a museum. The controversial ruling opens the way for the structure to be converted back into a mosque after 85 years. President Recep Tayyip Erdoƒüan handed over the iconic structure‚Äôs control to the country‚Äôs Religious Affairs Directorate following a court rulin

Is this the end of Turkish secularism?

Radical Islamist ideas are not only winning out in Turkey, but getting cheerful approval from the last remnants of the secular establishment.

Netflix Turkey cancels new series with gay character after government pressure

Netflix Turkey's decision to cancel a series with a gay character due to government pressure indicates that LGBTI+ society and rights are increasingly coming into the government's crosshairs.

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Intel: House passes bill forcing Trump to sanction Turkey over Russian missiles

The House passed legislation today that would force President Donald Trump to slap sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system.

A real estate advertising offers apartments with the view on the canal, in the small coastal village of Karaburun, near Istanbul, on June 12, 2018. - Karaburun's residents are waiting if a controversial new canal that will be built for Istanbul will change the region for the good. The ambitious Canal Istanbul project, first announced by Turkish current President in 2011 when he was prime minister, would begin in the Istanbul district of Kucukcekmece and then head toward Sazlidere reservoir before emerging i

Can Erdogan push for his 'crazy project' amid economic crisis?

The Turkish government's decision to rezone some agricultural lands in the vicinity of the area where the Canal Istanbul is to be built has rekindled controversy surrounding the project.

Erdogan: Turkey will stay in Syria until the 'people are free'

The Turkish president's comments follow parliamentary elections in Syria over the weekend that critics described as a farce.

Women hold signs with different numbers symbolizing the women murders during a protest against gender violence in Istanbul, at Kadikoy on September 28, 2019. (Photo by BULENT KILIC / AFP) (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)

Murder of Turkish woman sparks nationwide protests

The murder of a Turkish woman sparks protests across the nation as government officials consider withdrawing from a convention designed to combat violence against women.

Will Azeri-Armenian flare-up change energy game in South Caucasus?

Azeri-Armenian clashes in the strategically significant Tavush area could be the harbinger of tectonic changes in the energy politics in the South Caucasus, Turkey and Iran.

BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 20: Heiko Maas (SPD), Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, attends the Cabinet Meeting during the coronavirus on May 20, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Gora - Pool/Getty Images)

Top German diplomat criticizes Turkey's drilling plans in Mediterranean

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas repeated the concerns of other European states regarding Turkey's gas drilling plans in what Greece and Cyprus consider their waters.

Hagia Sophia's Christian icons to be covered with curtains during prayers

The 1,500-year-old Byzantine structure, which functioned as a museum for nearly 100 years, will reopen as a working mosque this week.

The mother of a victim (C) cries for her son on his coffin during a funeral ceremony in Gaziantep on July 21, 2015, following a suicide bomb attack the day before which killed at least 31 in the southern Turkish town of Suruc. A suspected Islamic State suicide bomber killed at least 31 people in an attack on a Turkish cultural centre in the southern town of Suruc, where activists had gathered to prepare for an aid mission in the nearby Syrian town of Kobane. It was one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey in

Five years on, no justice for victims of IS suicide bombing spree in Turkey

Families of the 33 victims of the devastating Suruc attack by an Islamic State suicide bomber commemorated the massacre today, reminding Turkey and the world that justice has yet to be served.