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Turkey

Turkey

June 18, 2026

Ankara 3:57 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

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan arrives for the fifth United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) forum in Vienna, February 27, 2013. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3ECAG

Erdogan Slammed for Comments On Zionism

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, on a visit to Turkey, joined Western leaders in criticizing Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's inflammatory rhetoric on Israel equating Zionism to crimes against humanity, reports Tulin Daloglu.

Pro-Kurdish politicians Sirri Sureyya Onder (C), Pelvin Buldan (L) and Altan Tan (R), get on a boat to travel Imrali island in Istanbul February 23, 2013. A delegation of pro-Kurdish politicians left for Imrali island to meet with imprisoned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. Turkey launched tentative negotiations with PKK leader Ocalan in his jail on Imrali island near Istanbul in October, drawing up a framework to end a conflict which has killed more than 40,000 people. The delegation,

Ocalan Peace Plan Irks PKK Militant Leaders

Both PKK militants and Turkish officials and politicians committed to the negotiations with Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan are worried that the leaked letters might undermine the process, writes Ilnur Cevik.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan at Ankara Palace in Ankara, March 1, 2013. Kerry said on Friday the United States found a comment by Turkey's prime minister, likening Zionism to crimes against humanity, "objectionable", overshadowing their talks on the crisis in neighbouring Syria. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3EG91

Erdogan’s Double Standards

Shlomi Eldar offers a reminder of the Armenian genocide in asserting that accusations against Zionism by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan exhibit hatred and hypocrisy.

Pro-Kurdish politicians Sirri Sureyya Onder (R), Pelvin Buldan (L) and Altan Tan (C), are surrounded by media members before leaving for Imrali island in Istanbul February 23, 2013. A delegation of pro-Kurdish politicians left for Imrali island to meet with imprisoned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. Turkey launched tentative negotiations with PKK leader Ocalan in his jail on Imrali island near Istanbul in October, drawing up a framework to end a conflict which has killed more than 40,0

Ocalan Signals Openness to Talks With Turkey on Kurdish Issue

Cengiz Candar interprets news reports about the meeting between members of the Peace and Democracy Party and PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan at the prison on Imrali island where he is serving a life sentence.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan at Ankara Palace in Ankara, March 1, 2013. Kerry said on Friday the United States found a comment by Turkey's prime minister, likening Zionism to crimes against humanity, "objectionable", overshadowing their talks on the crisis in neighbouring Syria. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3EG8P

Kerry Response to 'Zionist' Remark Met With Coolness in Turkey

US Secretary of State John Kerry's public response to remarks by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan on Zionism engendered some coolness from the Turkish prime minister during their first meeting, writes Clovis Maksoud.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan arrives for the fifth United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) forum in Vienna, February 27, 2013. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3ECAG

Ocalan Negotiations Impact Future of Turkish Presidency

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s negotiations with Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), are not just over a peace agreement; they have implications for the future of the Turkish presidency, writes Kadri Gursel.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu pauses during the 49th Conference on Security Policy in Munich February 3, 2013. Senior politicians along with the leader of the Syrian opposition are in Munich providing a rare opportunity for talks to revive efforts to end the civil war in Syria. REUTERS/Michael Dalder (GERMANY - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTR3DALG

The 'Sunnification' Of Turkish Foreign Policy

Turkey once hoped to be a peace broker in the region, but is now increasingly seen as inflaming sectarian divisions and instability, writes Semih Idiz.

sibel piece.jpg

Parents Get on Board With Turkey's LGBT Movement

A new documentary reveals that parents of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in Turkey are speaking out for the first time in support of their children, marking a new milestone for the movement in the country, writes Sibel Utku Bila.

Turkey’s National Action Party Resists Peace with PKK

The National Action Party (MHP) is poised to oppose peace with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on the grounds that it will compromise Turkish identity, writes Caleb Lauer.

Pro-Kurdish politicians Sirri Sureyya Onder (3rd R), Pelvin Buldan (2nd R) and Altan Tan (R), are surrounded by media members before leaving for Imrali island in Istanbul February 23, 2013. A delegation of pro-Kurdish politicians left for Imrali island to meet with imprisoned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. Turkey launched tentative negotiations with PKK leader Ocalan in his jail on Imrali island near Istanbul in October, drawing up a framework to end a conflict which has killed more t

Ocalan's Words Expose Risks To PKK-Turkey Peace Plan

Kadri Gursel writes on how the letters of Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned head of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), signal both a first step in building confidence and the difficulties to achieving a final agreement.

Turkey's former Islamist Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan greets his
supporters after the Friday prayers hours before an electoral board
ruling against him in Ankara September 20, 2002. Turkey's High
Electoral Board on Friday banned former premier Erbakan and Justice and
Development party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan from running in November
polls because of a past conviction for "Islamist sedition". Erdogan,
formerly mayor of Istanbul, was a member of Erbakan's Virtue party. He
founded Justice and De

More Military Arrests in Turkey For 'Feb. 28 Process'

As Turkey marks the 16th anniversary of its alleged "modern coup," two more generals are called to testify regarding the Feb. 28 event.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) attend a joint news conference in Ankara February 25, 2013. REUTERS/Altan Burgucu (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3EA7R

Turkey Can Improve Democratic Record for EU Bid

Turkey has shown progress since it officially applied to become a full member of the European Union in April 1987, but it's still lagging in many basic aspects of democracy, writes Tulin Daloglu.