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Turkey

July 30, 2026

Ankara 7:13 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.

Latest News

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

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.

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

AKP Trips on Islamic Tweets

Religious rhetoric by Justice and Development Party elites over marginal or irrelevant issues often seem unnecessary and divisive.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters stand in formation in northern Iraq May 14, 2013. The first group of Kurdish militants to withdraw from Turkey under a peace process entered northern Iraq on Tuesday, and were greeted by comrades from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), in a symbolic step towards ending a three-decades-old insurgency. The 13 men and women, carrying guns and with rucksacks on their backs, arrived in the area of Heror, near Metina mountain on the Turkish-Iraqi border, a Reuters witness sa

Turkey’s Militant Left Treads On 'New' Roads

With its roots in armed rebellion against the state, the Turkish and Kurdish militant left looks for ways of waging political battles under a new banner.

Veiled MPs Set Milestone in Turkey

The end of headscarf restrictions in Turkey will deprive the Justice and Development Party of the “victimhood” narrative and further expose the party’s authoritarian leanings.

Turkey's ruling Ak Party (AKP) lawmakers Nurcan Dalbudak (C) and Sevde Beyazit Kacar (R) attend the general assembly wearing their head scarves at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara October 31, 2013. Four female lawmakers from Turkey's Islamist-rooted ruling party wore their Islamic head scarves in parliament on Thursday in a challenge to the country's secular tradition. The last time a lawmaker attempted to wear the head scarf in parliament in 1999 she was expelled from the assembly. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TUR

Turkey Crosses Threshold On Islamic Headscarves

Turkey is breathing a sigh of relief after four female AKP deputies wearing headscarves to the parliament's general assembly caused only minor grumbling from the staunchly Kemalist opposition.

Al-Moussawi Says Iraq Can Be'Bridge' to Syria Solution

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Ali Al-Moussawi, top media adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, discusses the Geneva II Syria conference and Iraqi-Turkish relations.

Mustafa Sarigul, one of the two candidates for the leadership of the Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) waves to his supporters at the beginning of his party's 13th extraordinary congress gathered in Ankara, January 29, 2005, where the new leader of the party will be elected. Deniz Baykal, the CHP's leader, is being challenged by Mustafa Sarigul, mayor of a district of Istanbul. A total of 1,253 delegates will cast their votes to elect the new leader. REUTERS/Umit Bektas UB/THI - RTR1

AK Party’s Sovereignty Over Istanbul Threatened

Polls show current mayor of Istanbul Sisli district Mustafa Sarigul is likely to win local elecations as main opposition CHP candidate if he chooses to run in 2014.

Turkey's ruling AK Party (AKP) lawmaker Sevde Beyazit Kacar arrives to the general assembly wearing her headscarf at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara October 31, 2013. Four female lawmakers from Turkey's Islamist-rooted ruling party wore their Islamic head scarves in parliament on Thursday in a challenge to the country's secular tradition. Four female lawmakers, Nurcan Dalbudak, Sevde Beyazit Kacar, Gulay Samanci and Gonul Bekin Sahkulubey, from Turkey's Islamist-rooted ruling party AKP wore their Islamic h

Headscarf Returns to Turkish Parliament

Four female deputies from Turkey's Justice and Development Party went on the hajj and are now making history by returning to parliament wearing headscarves.

Hundreds of trucks bringing in diesel from Iran line up on a road as they head to the eastern province of Van in Turkey November 30, 2005. In the shadows of mountains bordering Iraq and Iran, Turkey's Hakkari province may one day be an outpost of the European Union. But for now, it feels cut off from the world. Picture taken November 30, 2005. To match feature Turkey-Southeast REUTERS/Fatih Saribas PP05120119 - RTR1AGKV

Five Trends in Iran-Turkey Trade, Energy Ties

International sanctions and regional tensions over Syria could still upset the uptick in Iran-Turkey economic relations, but the trend is positive.

A man reads the Koran at Al-Azhar Mosque, where Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi was the Grand Imam, in the old Islamic area of Cairo March 10, 2010. Tantawi, the head of Egypt's most prestigious seat of Islamic learning al-Azhar died of a heart attack on Wednesday during a visit to Saudi Arabia, religious officials at al-Azhar said. He was 81. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: RELIGION) - RTR2BGGP

Egypt Sets New Limits On Mosque Activities

Setting stringent, if hard to enforce, rules on activities that take place in mosques, Egypt’s new government has incensed Islamists of various political persuasions.

New Kurdish Party Could Impact Local Turkish Elections

The election strategy of a small, fledgling Kurdish-socialist party may have a disproportionate impact on local polls next year and sway Turkish politics.

Anti-government Alevi protesters shout slogans during a demonstration in Istanbul June 23, 2013. The European Union is on the verge of scrapping a new round of membership talks with Turkey, a move that would further undermine Ankara's already slim hopes of joining the bloc and damage its relations with Brussels. Germany, the EU's biggest economic power, is blocking efforts to revive Turkey's EU membership bid, partly because of its handling of anti-government protests that have swept the country in the last

Turkey’s Minorities Still Orphans On 90-Year Anniversary

Turkey marked its 90th anniversary with the inauguration of an undersea railway linking the two continents, but Greek, Kurdish and Armenian communities feel disconnected.

Fashion Labels Popular In Gaza Despite Hardship

Siege and war have not prevented Palestinians in Gaza from keeping up to speed with the latest fashion trends.