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Turkey

Turkey

May 13, 2026

Ankara 4:59 am

13°C

The helicopter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lands on Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on Aug. 9, 2022, before being sent for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Gazipasa.

New Turkey maritime draft bill fuels EastMed tensions with Greece, Cyprus

Turkey’s draft maritime bill seeks to formalize Ankara’s claims in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black seas, raising tensions with Greece and Cyprus over contested maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights.

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 06: A man poses for a photograph in front of the newly unveiled, Turkish made intercontinental ballistic missile Yildirimhan at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. The International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition, showcased Turkish and foreign companies new products and technology. The expo was dominated by UAV products as modern warfare increasingly shifts to drone and unmanned technologies. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Analysis

From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions

Turkey’s planned test of a 6,000-kilometer missile could boost Ankara’s defense industry prestige, strengthen its deterrence messaging and feed a powerful domestic narrative of technological self-reliance, but it also raises questions about cost, timing and NATO protection.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey, Japan launch defense industry partnership with eye on drones

People look at a drone on display at the Baykar exhibit at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

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

A Kurdish fighter from the People's Protection Units (YPG) rides on a pick-up truck mounted with an anti-aircraft weapon in the Ghwairan neighborhood of Hasaka, Syria, August 22, 2016. The Arabic on the wall reads, "Bashar al-Assad is the glory and the pride of the nation." REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX2MKNY

Turkey-US ties could fray further as Pentagon mulls arming YPG

Already rocky relations between Turkey and the United States are likely to worsen if the White House approves an expected Pentagon request to provide more weapons to the People's Protection Units.

News anchor Banu Guven is seen on a screen during a news broadcast at a studio of IMC TV, a news broadcaster slated for closure, in Istanbul, Turkey, September 30, 2016. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir - RTSQ9GP

Why is the Turkish government now targeting cartoons?

The Turkish government’s onslaught on small broadcasters with predominantly Kurdish, Alevi and leftist audiences sparks fears beyond the issue of press freedom.

A general view of the Harran refugee camp is seen in the Sanliurfa province, Turkey, June 6, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSGANU

How did Ankara's spending on Syrian refugees jump to $25 billion?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently claimed Turkey spent $25 billion on Syrian refugees, although he had cited $10 billion in February and even the number of refugees did not change.

Turkey's Energy Minister Berat Albayrak addresses the media in Ankara, Turkey July 27, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSJWB9

RedHackers daunt the Erdogan family

The alleged hacking of email accounts belonging to Berat Albayrak, the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, validates deep-rooted suspicions of AKP corruption, media censorship and intricate intra-AKP rivalries.

U.S. based cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 29, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller - RTSKAK8

Iraqi Kurdistan government seized, sold Gulen schools

The Kurdistan Regional Government, at Turkey's request, has sold educational institutes affiliated with the cleric Fethullah Gulen and seized other Gulenist-run institutions.

Siirt, TURKEY: A village guard poses with his rifle in his cabin in the mountainous southeastern city of Siirt, Pervari province, 28 June 2005. The outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) retaliated by blowing up a train in Bingol at the weekend, killing five people. The unrest marks sharply increased violence between the PKK and the army in the Turkish southeast since April, months after the rebels, 01 June 2004, called off a five-year unilateral ceasefire. AFP PHOTO/MUSTAFA OZER (Photo credit sh

Why Turkey is boosting its budget for dubious 'village guards'

The paramilitary force that Turkey formed to fight the Kurdistan Workers Party has been controversial since the 1980s, so why is the government expanding it now?

The Ottoman era Dolmabahce Palace is decorated with a huge Turkish flag as part of the National Sovereignty and Children's Day celebrations in Istanbul, April 23, 2009. The National Sovereignty and Children's day marks the 89th anniversary of the opening of the Turkey's National Assembly. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY ANNIVERSARY POLITICS) - RTXEAOM

Why is Turkey reviving an Ottoman sultan?

A great Ottoman sultan-caliph is being re-popularized in today’s Turkey with a clear political intention: legitimizing authoritarian rule.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY: Two unidentified transsexual prostitutes stand near the main road waiting for customer in central Istanbul, in Taksim Square, 12 December 2003. AFP PHOTO/ Mustafa Ozer (Photo credit should read MUSTAFA OZER/AFP/Getty Images)

Barely illegal: The changing face of Turkey's pleasure industry

Prostitution and escort services — often one and the same — are flourishing through aggressive promotions using hookup apps, social media and online marketplaces right under the nose of Islamists.

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AKP’s war economy widens income gap

A recent survey by Turkey’s official statistics agency reveals growing income disparities as the country’s economic downturn continues amid unrest both at home and in the region.

Turkish armoured personnel carriers drive towards the border in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 27, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2N8HX

What is Turkey’s military strategy in Syria?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent statement once again revealed that Ankara's priority in Syria is not fighting against the Islamic State, but rather stopping Kurds' advances.

Turkish army soldiers stand guard at their position near the northern Syrian rebel-controlled town of al-Rai, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, September 27, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTSPPGG

Turkey faces decision over boots on the ground in Syria

Turkish media are speculating that the Free Syrian Army militias cannot expel Islamic State from Dabik and al-Bab, so that mission will fall to Turkish infantry.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China September 3, 2016. Sputnik/Kremlin/Alexei Druzhinin/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX2NZZP

Foreign policy mishaps prove costly for Turkish contractors

The AKP government’s foreign policy blunders have cost Turkish contractors abroad $16 billion of revenue losses.