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Turkey

Turkey

July 16, 2026

Ankara 12:05 am

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Ozgu Ozel

Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel could launch new party by August

Ozgur Ozel’s remarks on a potential new party came as the legal crackdown on the main opposition widened further this week with the arrest and suspension of the mayor of Cankaya,one of the party’s most secure and symbolically important strongholds in the heart of Ankara.

Visitors stand inside Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul on April 14, 2025.

Russian couple faces deportation from Turkey after Bible reading at Hagia Sophia

The couple were detained after reading from the Bible inside the Istanbul landmark, which remains one of Christianity’s most important historic sites despite its conversion into a mosque.

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and his Egyptian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher, met at the Turkey’s Defense Ministry in Ankara, July 13, 2026.

Turkey, Egypt expand military ties with cooperation frameworks: What to know

Increasing defense cooperation between Ankara and Cairo comes as Turkey seeks to offset the expanding Greek-Cypriot-Israeli alignment in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Latest News

Analysis

From S-400s to SAMP/T: Turkey’s defense pivot gathers pace after NATO summit

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose after signing a defense partnership agreement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Lebanese PM Salam in Turkey as Erdogan seeks wider regional role

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks during a joint declaration press event with French President following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on April 21, 2026.

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

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks to the press after the United Nations General Assembly emergency special session on U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital in Manhattan, New York, U.S., December 21, 2017. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky - RC197961DCE0

Russia, Iran must 'stop the regime' in Idlib, pleads Turkish FM

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has ramped up diplomatic efforts to get the Syrian government to halt its offensive in Idlib.

Turks up in arms over religious green light for 9-year-old brides

Huge public outrage forces Turkey’s top Islamic authority to step back from its endorsement of marriage for girls as young as age 9.

Erdogan's border-security bluster a snarl at Moscow

The Turkish president has renewed threats to move against Syrian Kurdish forces, playing to his nationalist base with promises to secure Turkey's borders, but is unlikely to take action yet for fear of Russian retaliation.

Erdogan's 'soldiers' and their threat to dissent

After a controversial decree introducing judicial immunity for citizens involved in the suppression of terrorist acts, many in Turkey are concerned that it will be used to shield pro-government vigilantes.

Tension keeps rising in Cairo over Turkey-Sudan island pact

The Turkish-Sudanese deal over Suakin Island has sparked angry reactions to the possibility of Turkey building a military base on the island, posing a threat to Egypt’s national security.

Turkish military convoy is seen in the northern Syrian rebel-held town of Al-Bab, Syria, September 28, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC1CBDDC6600

Turkish forces take fire in Idlib

Unnamed forces attacked a Turkish military convoy in Idlib today in the wake of Sunday's car bomb that killed 34.

A flag of Islamic State militants is pictured above a destroyed house near the Clock Square in Raqqa, Syria October 18, 2017. Picture taken October 18, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro - RC159E696010

Turkey is becoming new hub for Salafist-jihadi exodus from Syria

Turkey is emerging as the unwilling heir apparent to Salafist-jihadi networks as they are forced out of neighboring countries.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (bottom) delivers a speech to parliament before presenting the proposed annual budget in Tehran on December 7, 2014. Iran's parliament has adopted a law on December 4, to tax religious foundations and military-linked companies, a first for the Islamic republic that could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues, media reported. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Rouhani on defense after attack on hard-line 'fraudulent institutions'

Reformists sidelined in Iran's street protests; reactions in Iraq and Turkey; Iran rebuilds ties with Hamas via Hezbollah.

Turkey’s aspiring young artists seek base of their own

Graduates of Turkey’s fine arts schools parade their work in the country’s cultural capital, Istanbul, sporting their agenda involving the issues of immigration, domestic violence and poorly planned urbanization.

Turkey's new President Tayyip Erdogan (L) and outgoing President Abdullah Gul attend a handover ceremony at the Presidential Palace of Cankaya in Ankara August 28, 2014. Erdogan was sworn in as Turkey's 12th president at a ceremony in parliament on Thursday, cementing his position as the country's most powerful modern leader, in what his opponents fear will herald an increasingly authoritarian rule. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - GM1EA8T00E601

Turkey in 2018: The war of the presidents

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees his predecessor, Abdullah Gul, as a rival and potential threat to his authority in the coming year.

Erdogan takes total control of Turkish defense industry

With yet another emergency status decree, Turkey's president makes himself top gun of the country's entire defense industry.

Turkish government blames protests in Iran on the West

Turkey’s pro-government media say an American-Israeli conspiracy to destabilize Iran has brought Iranian protesters to the streets.