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Turkey

April 29, 2026

Ankara 3:15 pm

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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

AFYONKARAHISAR, TURKEY - MARCH 31: Textile workers wearing face masks laboring at a textile factory turned into medical suits production plant due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey on March 31, 2020. (Photo by Canan Tukelay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

COVID-19 ravages Turkey’s vital clothing, textile industry

Turkey’s clothing and textile sector, a vital source of employment and revenues, has become the worst-hit industrial branch in the coronavirus crisis, taking both domestic and external blows.

Journalists gather outside the Ankara courthouse on March 10, 2020 behind a banner reading in Turkish "journalism is not crime," to protest over jailing of journalists, sparked by the recent arrest of OdaTV's news director and a journalist's report on the funeral of a Turkish intelligence officer apparently killed in Libya. - The journalists were taken to an Istanbul court formally arrested them on suspicion of disclosing the identity of an intelligence agency official. RSF ranks Turkey 157th out of 180 cou

New banking regulations threaten press freedom in Turkey

Recent measures seeking to limit damaging information on the financial system pose new threats to press freedom in Turkey.

ANKARA, TURKEY - MARCH 10: Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) Leader, Devlet Bahceli speaks during his party's group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, in Ankara, Turkey on March 10, 2020. (Photo by Rasit Aydogan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Turkish opposition trades favors as AKP limps

Turkey’s nationalist party leader Devlet Bahceli has floated a proposal to change electoral laws, fueling rumors of a possible snap election.

Smoke fumes rise above buildings in the Libyan capital Tripoli, during reported shelling by strongman Khalifa Haftar's forces, on May 9, 2020 (Photo by Mahmud TURKIA / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images)

Will Libya cheer up Erdogan?

Ill-calculated moves by rebel commander Khalifa Hifter have played into the hands of Turkey and its allies in the Libyan conflict, leading to the fall of a strategic air base in al-Wattiya; however, the situation is still volatile, and it is early to declare a victory.

A drone images shows Syrian demonstrators gathering during a protest in the village of Maaret al-Naasan in Syria's Idlib province on May 1, 2020, to protests against a reported attack by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance led by a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, on a protest the previous day. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

The not-so-sacred profit bonanza of Syria's jihadi groups

Economic gains have been at the core of clashes between rebel groups in Syria’s Idlib and Turkish-controlled regions that Syrian rebels describe as “liberated” areas.

Two girls play next to tents at a temporary camp for newly arrived refugees and migrants, where cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were detected, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, May 13, 2020. REUTERS/Elias Marcou - RC2KNG9YQJIS

2 more COVID-19 infections reported on Greek island housing refugees

The number of coronavirus cases among migrants on Lesbos rises to four, raising fears of a large outbreak in the Greek island's overcrowded camps.

Co-leaders of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Pervin Buldan (L) and Sezai Temelli speak on stage during a meeting in Ankara, on November 20, 2019 - Turkey's main pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) will discuss in Ankara a possible withdrawal from parliament in response to the crackdown against it. In recent weeks, several mayors in the southeast have been sacked or detained. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey continues to oust Kurdish mayors, replace with trustees

Four mayors have been detained in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeast, the latest in ongoing efforts by the government to suppress Kurdish political participation in the country.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a joint news conference following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia January 13, 2020. Pavel Golovkin/Pool via REUTERS - RC24FE9JQ0NF

Turkey needs flexible foreign policy now more than ever

Turkey needs to adopt a softer foreign policy to handle the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis it's triggered, but the government's rhetoric makes such a shift highly unlikely.

Mahya master Ramazan Kizilkaya takes part in the installation of the mahya at the top of one of the minarets of Yeni New mosque, as the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Istanbul, Turkey, April 27, 2020. Picture taken April 27, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC2LDG9HE58T

Turks celebrate Ramadan under shadow of pandemic

From masked drummers to online pide contests, Turks are bringing new twists to Ramadan in the coronavirus era.

ANKARA, TURKEY - APRIL 22: A view of Sincan Penal Institutions Campus on April 22, 2020 in Ankara, Turkey. Guardians and institution employees wearing masks and gloves and following the social distance rules, are working for 15 days at the prison. After being subjected to the isolation process, officers are working before going to their homes without seeing their families for about a month. As well as throughout the country, also in capital Ankara, guardians and institution employees stay in places of publi

Syrians held in Turkish prison 'in breach of international law,' advocates say

Scores of Syrians detained after Turkey's Operation Peace Spring began in October have been accused of links to the Kurdistan Workers Party and moved to a prison in Sanliurfa, Turkey.

A female Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighter adjusts her scarf while another carries a picture of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan at their base in Sinjar March 11, 2015. Women fighters at a PKK base on Mount Sinjar in northwest Iraq, just like their male counterparts, have to be ready for action at any time. Smoke from the front line, marking their battle against Islamic State, which launched an assault on northern Iraq last summer, is visible from the base. Many of the women have cut links

PKK attacks Turkish military base in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

The attack comes amid intra-Kurdish tensions in Iraq over the PKK's and Turkey's presence in the country.

Anti-Gaddafi fighters fire a multiple rocket launcher near Sirte, previously one of Muammar Gaddafi's last remaining strongholds in Libya, September 24, 2011. Picture taken September 24, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo SEARCH "POY DECADE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "REUTERS POY" FOR ALL BEST OF 2019 PACKAGES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. - RC2SND9VGEDW

Turkey’s intervention in Libya turns tide to Erdogan’s advantage, for now

Ankara has thrown in its lot with the Government of National Accord for reasons that have more to do with its own interests than Libya’s.