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Turkey

Turkey

May 13, 2026

Ankara 2:09 pm

22°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

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan talks to the media before a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (not pictured) at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, October 5, 2015. Erdogan mocked European Union overtures for help with its migration crisis during a long-awaited visit to Brussels on Monday that in the end was partly overshadowed by Russia's violation of Turkish airspace near Syria. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RTS34D3

Turkey-EU relations in tailspin after coup attempt

Turkey’s ties with Europe have taken a turn for the worse as Turks accuse the European Union of deserting them after last month's coup attempt.

Members of the ultra-nationalist Turkish Youth Association (TGB) take part in a protest against academics close to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen in front of Ankara University in Ankara, Turkey, July 21, 2016. The banner reads "Universities should be cleansed from Fethullah's terrorist organisation". REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTSJ0KC

Will KRG be next target of Turkey's Gulenist purge?

Though the Gulen movement has long been a major player in education, business and public facilities in Iraqi Kurdistan, observers doubt that the Turkish government will let its influence hinder relations between the two important trading partners.

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (C), flanked by Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar (3rd L) and the country's top generals, attends a wreath-laying ceremony in Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, ahead of a High Military Council meeting in Ankara, Turkey, July 28, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSK1HV

How Turkey is reforming its military

Turkey is undertaking revolutionary military reforms, but they can’t yet be characterized democratic.

Turkey's reality dating shows see spike in complaints, ratings

Turkey’s matchmaking reality shows have come under scrutiny by the country’s media watchdog amid increasing complaints, but their unending scandals continue to raise their ratings.

Turkish gendarmeries escort fugitive commandos who were involved in a bid to seize President Tayyip Erdogan during a failed coup attempt last month, as they leave from a gendarmerie station in Mugla province, Turkey, early August 1, 2016. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz - RTSKIP4

Political leg of Gulenist network in Turkey remains obscure

Pressure mounts on the Turkish government to assume political responsibility for Gulenist entrenchment in the state.

A demonstrator holds newspaper read "Black day of the press" during a protest outside the Cumhuriyet newspaper in Istanbul, Turkey, November 27, 2015. Around 2,000 people protested on Friday over the arrest of two prominent journalists on charges of espionage and terrorist propaganda, a case that has revived long-standing criticism of Turkey's record on press freedom under President Tayyip Erdogan. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTX1W3XS

How a Turkish daily targeting army tutelage was banned for supporting a coup

Taraf, a plucky liberal newspaper operating on a shoestring budget, was the poster child for the AKP's efforts to defang the Turkish army. Its fortunes mirror the feud between the AKP and Fethullah Gulen.

U.S. based cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 29, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller - RTSKAI8

Why are Gulenists hostile toward Iran?

There seems to be a blind spot in the excited discussion surrounding the failed coup in Turkey: the long and complex enmity between Iran and the followers of exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.

A man holds a banner as he and others have gathered in solidarity night after night since the July 15 coup attempt in central Ankara, Turkey, July 27, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSJZ30

The West must reach out to Turkey

Turkey needs sensible friends at this critical juncture who will both understand the severity of the threat the nation has faced and also urge it to respect the rule of law.

Demonstrators wave Turkish flags as they shout slogans demanding the extradition of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Turkish government blame for a failed coup attempt last week, during a protest near the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, July 19, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTSIOIV

Turkish legislators press case for Gulen extradition

A group of parliamentarians from Turkey visited Washington to try to ease tensions with the United States following a failed July 15 coup attempt.

People gather on a main square of Kurdish-dominated city of Diyarbakir during the "No to Coup! Democracy Now Rally" organised by pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Turkey, July 31, 2016. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RTSKGUU

Turkey’s Kurds excluded from post-coup national unity

Turkey’s Kurds, largely excluded from efforts at national unity after the failed coup, have appealed for reconciliation and revival of talks to end the Kurdish conflict.

Students of Turkish military high school of Kuleli stand before a Turkish flag during their performance in Inonu Stadium May 19, 2001, to celebrate Youth and Sports Day. Turkey is celebrating Youth and Sports Day with parades by students and military throughout the country.

FS/WS - RTRIHY6

Gulen movement's youngest victims speak out in Turkey

Will the failed coup in Turkey ultimately help redeem students who were discharged from military schools in the past decade as alleged punishment for refusing to fall in with the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization?

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 (G20) leaders summit in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, Turkey, November 16, 2015. REUTERS/Kayhan Ozer/Pool - RTS7AJJ

Can Turkey really turn to Russia?

Despite anger at the West after the recent failed coup, the strategic ties some desire with Russia do not appear realistic.