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Turkey

Turkey

June 17, 2026

Ankara 1:12 am

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Orthodox Patriarch of Bartholomew at the presidential complex, Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2026.

Culture

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary

The meeting comes ahead of US President Trump’s expected attendance at next month's NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey, after Trump personally urged his Turkish counterpart to reopen the Halki Seminary.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 22, 2026.

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Moscow as S-400 sanctions issue returns to fore

The visit comes weeks before Turkey hosts NATO leaders, on the sidelines of which Ankara hopes to reach a deal with Washington over CAATSA sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400s.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

The latest Erdogan-Netanyahu clash underscored how Turkey-Israel tensions have grown beyond the Palestinian issue and into a wider regional rivalry spanning Syria, Lebanon, Iran and the eastern Mediterranean.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Feature

Turkey’s World Cup return clouded by politics, dawn kickoffs

Turkey finally has the World Cup moment it waited 24 years for, but much of the country will either be asleep for it or arguing over efforts to claim it.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Latest News

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

Analysis

As Trump admin drops Halkbank case, S-400 last big hurdle in US-Turkey ties

Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile launching system is displayed at the exposition field in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow on Aug. 22, 2017 during the first day of the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2017.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Shoes are laid out on the ground in memory of protesters killed and injured in recent clashes near Taksim Square in Istanbul June 19, 2013. Turkey's deputy prime minister said on Wednesday he had no objection to silent anti-government protests inspired by a symbolic "Standing Man" vigil, comments that could help draw the sting out of three weeks of often violent demonstrations. REUTERS/Marko Djurica (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX10TMN

The Return of 'Mujahid' in Turkey

Is the return of Erdogan’s "mujahid" identity foreshadowing a further religious turn by the Justice and Development Party?

A Palestinian vendor prepares water pipes at his shop on the beach of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip May 31, 2009. Sunday marks World No Tobacco Day. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA ANNIVERSARY HEALTH) - RTR2443D

Hamas Police Crack Down On Beach Cafe 'Vices'

Policemen are regularly intruding into beach cafes in Gaza, targeting a range of "vices" from women smoking argileh to boys and girls walking together on the beach.

Hezbollah Keen on Hamas Alliance Despite Criticism

Hezbollah seeks to repair ties with Hamas which have been strained over Syria.

Syrian detainees, who were arrested over participation in the protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime,are seen walking at the Damascus police leadership building to sign their release papers July 11, 2012. The Syrian government said it had released a total of 275 prisoners, who had not been involved in homicide. A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen at right. REUTERS/Khaled al- Hariri (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW) - RTR34TZJ

Inside Syria's Gulag

An exclusive firsthand account from a Syrian who was detained in a state prison in Aleppo.

A protester reacts as riot police order them to evacuate Gezi Park in central Istanbul June 15, 2013. Thousands of people took to the streets of Istanbul overnight on Sunday, erecting barricades and starting bonfires, after riot police firing teargas and water cannon stormed a park at the centre of two weeks of anti-government unrest. Lines of police backed by armoured vehicles sealed off Taksim Square in the centre of the city as officers raided the adjoining Gezi Park late on Saturday, where protesters ha

Turkey's Military and the Protests In Gezi Park

The Turkish government is haunted by coup fears in its handling of the massive protests.

People stand during a silent protest at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 18, 2013. A Turkish man has staged an eight-hour silent vigil on Istanbul's Taksim Square, scene of violent clashes between police and anti-government protesters in recent weeks, inspiring hundreds of others to follow his lead. REUTERS/Marko Djurica (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX10RSA

Taksim: Turkey’s Tiananmen?

Can Turkey still be a role model of democracy for Arab and Islamic countries?

A supporter wears a mask showing Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during a rally of ruling AK party in Istanbul June 16, 2013. Tens of thousands of Erdogan's supporters massed at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday, as riot police fired tear gas to break up pockets of anti-government protesters in the city center several kilometers away. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10PV2

Erdogan’s Conspiracy Theories Contain a Paradox

Erdogan is confronting the very international forces that have helped him to consolidate his rule and expand Turkey’s reach across the region.

Turkey Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is pictured after his speech during conference in Ankara, June 18, 2013. Police raided addresses across Turkey on Tuesday and detained dozens of people in an operation linked to three weeks of often violent protests against Erdogan. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10S0B

Most Turks Do Not Support Erdogan's Syria Policy

According to a recent poll, only 27.4% of Turks support their prime minister's Syria policies.

Men grieve over a grave at the funerals for those killed in Saturday's clashes at the Libya Shield brigade headquarters, in Benghazi June 9, 2013. Libya's army will take control of a militia's bases in the eastern city of Benghazi after clashes in which 31 people were killed, an army spokesman said on Sunday. Fighting broke out on Saturday at the headquarters of the Libya Shield brigade when protesters demanded the disbanding of the militias, whose continued existence nearly two years after the fall of Muam

In Libya, Militias Rule

The collapse of Libya’s intelligence and security sectors requires urgent reform.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during a rally by his ruling AK Party in Istanbul June 16, 2013. Erdogan rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters at an Istanbul parade ground on Sunday as riot police fired teargas several kilometres away in the city centre to disperse anti-government protesters. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10PZS

Women Will Decide Extent Of Turkey's Religiosity

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been using religious symbols in his rallies, giving the wrong impression internationally and raising concerns about Turkey's religious turn.

Anti-government protesters, with the New mosque in the background, gather over the Galata bridge in Istanbul June 16, 2013. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters at an Istanbul parade ground on Sunday as riot police fired teargas several kilometres away in the city centre to disperse anti-government protesters. Riot police fired teargas into side streets around the central Taksim Square as he spoke, trying to prevent protesters from regrouping after hundreds were

Turkey’s Deepening Polarization

A recent poll shows declining support for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and AKP policies.

Turkish police guard the entrance of Gezi Park at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 17, 2013. Turkish police detained 441 people in connection with clashes in Istanbul on Sunday between police and demonstrators protesting against the government, an official at the city's bar association said on Monday. REUTERS/Marko Djurica (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX10QLE

Erdogan’s Hubris Syndrome

Is there a strategy behind Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s polarizing, hard-line policies?