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Turkey

Turkey

May 4, 2026

Ankara 3:53 pm

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Zaidi

Analysis

Iraq’s Zaidi offers economic promise for Turkey but unknowns loom

Iraq’s prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, is expected to sustain growing economic and strategic ties with Turkey thanks to his business-oriented approach, though uncertainty over his political stance could test cooperation on sensitive issues.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), from the British Army's 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, No. 2 Company, patrol along the buffer zone separating the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the divided capital Nicosia on Feb. 17, 2026.

Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know

A potential French deployment to Greek Cyprus comes amid Turkey’s growing concerns of strategic encirclement in the Eastern Mediterranean.

This aerial photograph shows Turkey's first floating natural gas production platform, "Osman Gazi," passing through the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, on May 29, 2025.

Turkey advances gas pipeline plan to northern Cyprus as East Med rivalry grows

The Turkish energy minister said the country's oil and natural gas pipeline operator, BOTAS, has started the engineering work for the pipeline.

Latest News

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

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.

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

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.

Analysis

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

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.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

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)

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

US Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson (C), is seen inside a car escorted by Turkish plain clothes police officers as he arrives at his house on July 25, 2018 in Izmir. - A Turkish court on July 25, 2018 ruled to place under house arrest US pastor who has been imprisoned for almost two years on terror-related charges in a case that has raised tensions with the United States, state media said. The state-run Anadolu news agency said he was being put under house arrest, although it was not clear if he had already lef

Brunson affair becomes litmus test for Turkish-US ties

Uncertainty remains over whether the American pastor will be released from detention next week by a Turkish court.

U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter flies over Amari air base, Estonia, April 25, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins - RC1425293650

Intel: The Pentagon won’t abandon Turkey despite tensions

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan leave after a news conference in Tehran, Iran September 7, 2018. Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool via REUTERS - RC14A5A16440

Will Iran, Turkey jointly confront US influence east of the Euphrates?

Iran and Turkey are gearing their policies in Syria toward jointly tackling the current status quo in northeastern Syria, where US-backed forces constitute a common threat to both Turkish and Iranian interests.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan greets members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC18F32A2FE0

EU votes to withhold funding as Turkish democracy limps

The European Union will withhold 70 million euros over Turkey's failure to stop its democratic decline in a blow sure to hurt Ankara where it counts.

Makeshift tents of Syrian refugees are seen in a wooded area in central Ankara October 5, 2013. Some 150 Syrians, mostly from villages near Syria's Aleppo, prefer to settle in the central Turkish capital instead of refugee camps run by the Turkish government. According to the families, this allows them to work as daily workers. Most of them collect plastic and paper garbage from the trash cans of buildings for recycling and sell it to make money. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: SOCIETY IMMIGRATION POLIT

Foreigners purchasing more Turkish property

Eager to lure foreign exchange, Ankara has slashed the financial criteria for foreigners to become Turkish citizens. But the increase in property sales to foreigners is already a worrying omen to many.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visit the Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province, Syria December 11, 2017. Picture taken December 11, 2017. To match Special Report RUSSIA-FLIGHTS/ Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/ via REUTERS/File Photo ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1DE7734AA0

Three years in Syria, Russia sums up achievements and challenges

On the third anniversary of the Russian campaign in Syria, Foreign Minister Lavrov summed up Moscow's achievements but conceded challenges persist.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament as he attends the reopenning of the Turkish parliament after the summer recess in Ankara, Turkey, October 1, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC17E56F7730

Erdogan greets Turkish lawmakers with fire, fury as parliament convenes

The Turkish president opened the parliamentary session with renewed antagonism toward the United States and the Kurdish militants it's aligned with in Syria and Iraq, dashing hopes that Turkey's economic difficulties had tempered his aggression.

An employee checks bottles for Turkey's popular alcoholic drink raki at the Infotex Alkollu Icecekler plant in the town of Dinar, Turkey, November 30, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC119E706970

Raki bottles tell story of Turkey's changes

The story of raki under the Justice and Development Party is the story of Turkey’s Islamic conservative transformation in a nutshell.

Russia pins downed plane on Israel, will add missiles in Syria

Russia’s decision to deploy its S-300 air defense systems in Syria is a major step toward dominating Syrian airspace, but to what extent will it affect Israel?

Erdogan in Germany: A controversial but successful visit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Germany has been an achievement as he managed to return to Turkey without committing himself to improve the human rights and democracy record of his country while getting what he wanted.

Diyanet flexes its muscles to back Erdogan’s soft power in Syria

In Syria, Diyanet assumed a role beyond religious diplomacy in coordinating various aid, vocational and religious education agencies, all to win the hearts and minds of the locals.

Dramatic demographic changes loom for Turkey, experts warn

Turkey’s demographic fabric is expected to change dramatically in the coming decades, driven by a combination of factors, including the influx of migrants with high birth rates and Turkey’s own economic and political woes.