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Turkey

June 18, 2026

Ankara 2:40 am

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A Turkish police officers patrols at the scene of a motor-bike bomb explosion, next to a police station on Oct. 6, 2016, in Istanbul.

Turkey captures alleged ISIS-K media chief near Afghanistan-Pakistan border

The capture comes as Turkish authorities intensify raids against Islamic State networks following recent attacks and alleged plots.

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

Latest News

Feature

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

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

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

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.

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

Iraqi police stand guard during foot patrol at Rabia, near the main border between Iraq and Syria March 2, 2013. Clashes between the Syrian army and rebels at a border post brought the civil war close to neighbouring Iraq, where troops fired warning shots into the air, residents, officials and a Reuters reporter said. Insurgents seized control of half of the northeastern Syrian town of Yaarabiya, including a border post with Iraq, in a battle with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad on Friday and earl

The Iraqi and Turkish Fault Lines

The Syria war spreads to Iraq; Turkey is increasingly divided over Prime Minister Erdogan’s Syrian policies; and Secretary of State John Kerry’s trip to the region includes progress toward a political solution in Syria.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu (R) as they meet in Ankara June 24, 2012. Turkey accused Syria on Sunday of shooting down a military plane in international airspace without warning and called a NATO meeting to discuss a response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Amid growing acrimony between the once-friendly neighbours, Syria said its forces had shot dead "terrorists" infiltrating its territory from T

Erdogan Angered After Opposition In Turkey Meets With Assad

Syrian President Bashar Assad’s meeting in Damascus with members of the opposition Republican People’s Party has exposed the weakness of Turkey’s Syria policy, writes Kadri Gursel.

Turkish author and human rights activist Adalet Agaoglu leans over a poster of late Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink as she stands next to the spot, where Dink was killed, outside the Agos newspaper building during a commemoration to mark his fifth death anniversary in Istanbul January 19, 2012. A man was sentenced to life in prison in Turkey on Tuesday for the 2007 killing of prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in a verdict that drew criticism from rights groups for failing to explore al

Why Are Turks Intolerant?

Mustafa Akyol offers his take on Semih Idiz's recent piece, “Just How Tolerant Are Turks?"

Turkish-Kurdish demonstrators hold a poster, which shows jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan (R) with late Kurdish activist Sakine Cansiz, during a protest in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, February 15, 2013. Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) held a protest to mark the 14th anniversary of the capture of Ocalan. REUTERS/Stringer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3DU72

High Stakes for Erdogan In Turkish Talks With PKK

Semih Idiz considers whether Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and imprisoned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan are speaking past each other in the current Imrali process.

Syrian National Coalition leader Moaz Alkhatib speaks to the media after meeting with Arab League head Nabil al-Arabi in Cairo February 11, 2013. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3DMQ7

'Regime Can’t Go On Like This,' Says Syrian Opposition Leader

Cengiz Çandar talks with Sheikh Moaz al-Khatib, leader of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, about the roles and interests of the United States, Russia and Iran in Syria and his efforts to arrive at a solution to the crisis.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) shakes hands with Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting in Ankara December 11, 2012. REUTERS/Kayhan Ozer/Prime Minister's Press Office/Handout (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR3BGDE

Turkey Upgrades Palestinian Ties

Although Turkey’s consul general in Jerusalem will present his letter of accreditation to Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, Turkish diplomatic sources insist that Turkey is not “appointing an ambassador to Palestine,” writes Tulin Daloglu.

Flags of various Arab countries flutter in front of Baghdad's Palestine hotel March 27, 2012. Leaders have gathered for the first Arab League summit in Baghdad in two decades. The summit will take place over three days.
REUTERS/Ahmed Al Rubaye/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2ZYG5

Kurdish MP Displays Turkish Unity Abroad

While traveling with Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, BDP Hakkari Deputy Esat Canan, a Kurd, revealed a common purpose in promoting Turkey abroad, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose before a meeting in Ankara February 29, 2012. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2YMY2

Erdogan Wins Palestinian Hearts and Minds

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasing political and economic support for the Palestinians has strengthened Turkey's ties with both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, writes Adnan Abu Amer.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan reacts during a joint news conference with his Greek counterpart Antonis Samaras (not pictured) in Istanbul March 4, 2013. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3EKA8

Media Pushes Back On Erdogan Pressure

Derya Sazak, the executive editor of Milliyet, one of Turkey's most respected dailies, threatened a walkout to defy government pressure, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan chats with Head of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate Mehmet Gormez (R) during the summit of religious leaders from Muslim countries and communities in Africa at the Ottoman-era Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul November 21, 2011. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION) - RTR2UA6H

Just How Tolerant Are Turks?

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks about Zionism provide a catalyst for analyzing whether Turks are generally insensitive toward any kind of minority rights in Turkey, writes Semih Idiz.

Kurds take part in a demonstration calling for the release of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, in Strasbourg, eastern France, February 16, 2013. REUTERS/Jean-Marc Loos (FRANCE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR3DVAH

Ocalan Scoop Stirs Turkish Media

Namik Durukan's scoop in Milliyet about the meeting between the Kurdish deputies and imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has provoked a debate about journalistic ethics and practice, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan listens during a news conference after the opening session of the fifth United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Forum in Vienna February 27, 2013. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3ECGF

Is Erdogan 'Anti-Zionist'?

Mustafa Akyol writes that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's comments on Zionism should be understood and analyzed in a Turkish, not just international, context.