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Turkey

Turkey

July 16, 2026

Ankara 9:36 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

Gold trader case threatens economic fallout for Turkey

The sanctions-busting case against Iranian-Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab in the United States has raised the specter of continuing tensions in US-Turkish bilateral ties, with serious implications for the Turkish economy.

Erdogan's mayor purge leaves almost half of Turkey without elected officials

Following a series of expulsions and forced resignations by the Turkish government, tens of millions of Turkish citizens have seen their elected mayors removed from power only to be replaced with government-selected "custodians."

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, April 18, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC18BE492CA0

Turkish prime minister’s family caught up in Paradise Papers leak

Popular Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim denies any wrongdoing after his close family members appeared in the Paradise Papers that list companies and individuals who shield their wealth in offshore tax havens.

US resumes visas for Turks ahead of prime minister’s visit

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim will meet with US Vice President Mike Pence this week after a series of detentions and differences over Syria have damaged relations between the traditional allies.

Middle East developments rattle sidelined Ankara

Some argue that Ankara has to return to its former position of active neutrality if it is to regain lost influence in the region and contribute to stability.

Iraq’s intervention may change the equation in Syria's Kurdish regions

The closure of the Fish Khabur and Rabia border crossings between Iraq and Syria may jeopardize the Kurdish federal project in northern Syria.

One year into crackdown, Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition battered but defiant

Nine members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party remain in prison a full year after the detentions on terrorism-related charges began, and joint leader Selahattin Demirtas’ first day in court is scheduled for Dec. 7.

Iraq-Turkey border confusion: Who's in charge here?

The sight of Turkish soldiers at the Habur border crossing with Iraq for the first time in 26 years raised many questions and a lot of conflicting answers.

Kurdish rift emerges between Erdogan, Putin

A fundamental disagreement over the role of Syria’s Kurds threatens to wreck Turkey’s partnership with Russia, atop already simmering tensions with the United States.

Turkey's leg of the Silk Road could be smoother

Turkish officials are playing up the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway as a segment of the new Silk Road linking Beijing to London, but there are many bumps yet to come along the way.

Culture Alert: November the month for contemporary art, photography

Several major art events are entering their final weeks and months in the region.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan attends a Republic Day ceremony at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, to mark the republic's anniversary in Ankara, Turkey, October 29, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC19B620D4E0

Purge of Turkish mayors could hit opposition strongholds

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says legal action could be taken against more mayors if their political parties do not "solve problems themselves."