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Turkey

July 29, 2026

Ankara 3:46 pm

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets Iraq Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi upon his arrival in Ankara, July 28, 2026.

Explainer

Erdogan hosts Zaidi, touts ‘historic step’ in Turkey-Iraq energy ties

The Turkish president outlined Ankara’s priorities with the new Iraqi government during the Iraqi leader’s first visit to Turkey: security, energy cooperation and the Development Road.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (not pictured) at the Pentagon on July 14, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.

Zaidi to meet Erdogan as Turkey-Iraq ties take off, Kurds feel sidelined

The Iraqi prime minister's visits to Ankara and Riyadh underscore Baghdad's push to deepen regional ties as Turkey seeks closer cooperation on energy and security.

Latest News

Analysis

Iran war puts Turkey’s inflation fight, lira under fresh pressure

Vendors sell dry food as people shop by a banner reading " No to Inflation" near the New Mosque area in Istanbul's Eminonu district on Nov. 6, 2018.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

What challenges await Erdogan’s new rival and Turkey’s new opposition party?

Ozgur Ozel

Halil Karaveli

By Halil Karaveli

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

Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of the Hamas Gaza government, prays before delivering a speech in Gaza City October 19, 2013. Haniyeh urged rival Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to speed up the implementation of the faltering Egyptian-brokered unity deal to heal six years of political rifts. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX14GN2

Hamas debates technocrat government in Gaza

The loss of financial support from Iran has reportedly contributed to Gaza's current crisis, according to Hamas sources.

A damaged armoured carrier that belonged to forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad are seen along a deserted street in Homs March 8, 2014 REUTERS/Thaer Al Khalidiya (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3G99W

Watch Trendlines “Blowback?: Ukraine and the Middle East"

The next PBS NewsHour-Al-Monitor web special will focus on the implications of the crisis in Ukraine for US policy in the Middle East.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (C) cuts the ribbon during the opening ceremony of the new building of the Turkish Embassy in Doha December 4, 2013. REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous (QATAR - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX163G5

GCC rift another blow to Erdogan’s Mideast policies

Turkey is increasingly isolated in the region, more so as Qatar is on the outs with other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Supporters of ruling AK Party (AKP) listen as Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (his portrait seen on foreground) addresses during an election rally in Malatya March 6, 2014. Turkey will hold municipal elections on March 30. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3G4X8

In latest tape, Erdogan calls judiciary

Leaked tapes suggest Recep Tayyip Erdogan interfered directly in the judiciary to curb press freedom.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz (R) is greeted by an officer upon his arrival to attend the 130th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh on March 4, 2014. AFP PHOTO / FAYEZ NURELDINE (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Saudi-Qatar tensions divide GCC

The announcement by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates that they are withdrawing their ambassadors to Qatar is a further sign of the deterioration in Saudi-Qatar ties and the fragmentation of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Pro-Russian demonstrators erect a Russian flag outside the regional government building in Donetsk March 5, 2014. Pro-Moscow youths recaptured the administrative headquarters of the eastern city of Donetsk and flew the Russian flag from its roof on Wednesday, hours after Kiev's authorities managed to fly their own flag there for the first time since Saturday. REUTERS/Stringer (UKRAINE - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3G2UQ

US-Russia Mideast cooperation in balance over Ukraine?

In the absence of a diplomatic settlement between the West and Russia over Ukraine, Moscow may seek to capitalize on recent gains in the Middle East at US expense.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Russian government meeting in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow March 5, 2014. Putin said on Wednesday he did not want political tension to detract from economic cooperation with Russia's "traditional partners", signalling he hopes to avoid spillover from a bitter dispute with the West over Ukraine. REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin (RUSSIA - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS) THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RE

Russia has Mideast options in response to Ukraine

As the United States weighs its options in response to Russia’s moves in Crimea, Russia holds its own cards, especially with Syria and Iran.

Members of Turkey's Alevi community attend a rally in Ankara November 9, 2008. Thousands of Turkish Alevis marched in Ankara on Sunday in their first massive demonstration to call for an end to discrimination by the government and compulsory religious classes. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY) - RTXAF3A

Alevis want back places of worship seized by Ataturk

The return of Alevi places of worship could be a milestone in Turkey’s democracy.

Protesters seize a portrait of Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during a demonstration against the opening of a new road include a part of the Middle East Technical University campus in Ankara February 25, 2014. Erdogan opened the road across the Middle East Technical University campus and uprooting a large number of trees in the area in Ankara on Tueasday. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3FPP6

Erdogan's endless legitimacy crisis

Neither the ballot box nor a harsher regime seem to be able to rescue Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan from his current political troubles.

Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen is pictured at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania September 26, 2013. Born in Erzurum, eastern Turkey, Gulen built up his reputation as a Muslim preacher with intense sermons that often moved him to tears. From his base in Izmir, he toured Turkey stressing the need to embrace scientific progress, shun radicalism and build bridges to the West and other faiths. The first Gulen school opened in 1982. In the following decades, the movement became a spectacular success, s

Gulenists use hate speech against Shiites, Iranians

Turkey’s Gulenists, hostile to Iran and to Shiites, incite Sunnis to enmity and hatred against Shiites.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Damascus January 15, 2014, in this handout released by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTX17F37

Iran’s four-part plan for a political solution in Syria

The best approach to a political solution in Syria lies in addressing both the threat of international terrorism and the urgent humanitarian crisis, as well as a national and international process leading to a direct vote by the Syrian people, according to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari (L) welcomes Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) at his arrival to Baghdad's airport February 23, 2014. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX19COB

Iraq looks East in foreign policy

As disputes between Iraq and the West seem to be on the rise, Baghdad is refocusing its efforts on the “East,” in particular Russia, China and Iran.