Newsletter: Turkey SDF’s Kobane says Ankara trip in the works Mazlum Kobane says he could travel to Turkey and potentially meet jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Trump says removing Iran’s uranium is more about optics Trump downplays Iran uranium removal after China talks, the UAE moves to bypass Hormuz and Iraq ends months of political deadlock. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Interview Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future. Mazloum Kobane SDF commander in chief
Turkey, Armenia to launch direct trade in normalization push: What to know The move removes a decades-old reexport mechanism routed largely through Georgia as Ankara and Yerevan step up normalization efforts. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Trump rejects Iran's latest proposal By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Riyadh seeks death penalties in Khashoggi killing as US sanctions Saudis Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor has announced that he will seek the death penalty for five Saudi officials arrested in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition struggles to be heard Two years after its leader was jailed, the Peoples' Democratic Party is still in parliament, but continues to face a crackdown that a European Parliament report included as a reason to halt EU membership talks with Turkey. Turkey
Why Syrian Armenians are avoiding Turkey While most Syrian ethnic groups, including Kurds, Turkmens, and Syriac Christians, seek refuge in Turkey, Syrian Armenians do not. Syria
Turkey 'won’t be duped' by US in Syria Washington’s decision to place a bounty on the heads of the PKK leadership has been met with suspicion and derision in Ankara. Syria
Turkey's trigger finger grows itchy over US-Kurd relations Turkey is probing ways to penetrate Kurd-controlled areas east of the Euphrates River, but the United States doesn’t seem ready to give up its relationship with the Kurdish People's Protection Units. Syria
Turkish court quashes journalist’s prison sentence Ayla Albayrak won an appeal against a 2017 terror conviction for reporting on the Kurdish insurgency for the Wall Street Journal, but she doubts the court was motivated by concern for press freedom. Turkey
'Atrocious' recording of Khashoggi’s killing shocks listeners Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he's gotten shocked reactions to an audio tape of the Saudi journalist’s final moments as he presses world leaders to hold the kingdom accountable for its alleged role in the killing. Saudi Arabia
Crossing between opposing forces opens near Idlib, Syria Despite sporadic fighting, a crossing between forces of the Syrian regime and its opposition has reopened in Morek. Syria
Saudi royals rally support at home as pressure mounts Following intense pressure from Turkey and the United States over the war in Yemen and the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi king and crown prince are looking to rally support among their domestic base. Saudi Arabia
Why Iran did not attend the Europe-Russia-Turkey summit on Syria While some have questioned Iran’s absence at the recent four-way summit on Syria between the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Turkey, the reality is that Iran likely saw only negative outcomes stemming from its participation in the meeting at this time. Turkey
Turkey turns up heat on Saudis, shares recording of Khashoggi murder The Turkish president discussed the Saudi journalist’s case with world leaders in Paris while Jamal Khashoggi’s friends gathered in Istanbul to honor his memory and demand justice. Saudi Arabia
Istanbul’s LGBTQ community finds pride on soccer field LGBTQ visibility has reached an all-time low in Turkey but Atletik Dildoa, an Istanbul-based LGBTQ soccer team, wants to increase it through sports events. Turkey