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Turkey

Turkey

May 16, 2026

Ankara 1:20 pm

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Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

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

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shake hands before a meeting at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

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.

Latest News

New Turkey maritime draft bill fuels EastMed tensions with Greece, Cyprus

The helicopter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lands on Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on Aug. 9, 2022, before being sent for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Gazipasa.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

Analysis

From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 06: A man poses for a photograph in front of the newly unveiled, Turkish made intercontinental ballistic missile Yildirimhan at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. The International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition, showcased Turkish and foreign companies new products and technology. The expo was dominated by UAV products as modern warfare increasingly shifts to drone and unmanned technologies. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

How did Turkey end up with VIP plane it didn’t need?

A Qatar leader's VIP plane that had first been put up for sale ended up as a gift for Erdogan, causing a major stir in Turkey.

United Arab Emirates

Syrian girl’s Twitter account accused of Western propaganda

Russia has accused the West of manipulating the Twitter account of a six-year-old girl from Idlib, who is posting about the suffering of children in the province ahead of an imminent regime offensive.

Security members and gendarmes are seen at the entrance of Istanbul new airport building site on September 15, 2018, in Istanbul. - Turkish police have detained hundreds of workers protesting over labour conditions at Istanbul's new airport, a giant project championed by President Tayyip Erdogan and due to open next month. (Photo by BULENT KILIC / AFP) (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)

Dozens of Turkish airport workers jailed after protest

A labor protest demanding better conditions and a safer workplace at Istanbul’s controversial new airport, due to open in six weeks, lands 24 workers in jail pending formal charges. Officials say they are provocateurs seeking to sully one of Turkey’s grandest infrastructure projects.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russia September 17, 2018. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS - RC1991A9AFA0

Erdogan scores diplomatic wins in meetings with Putin, Merkel

Despite negative portrayals of President Erdogan, he has been successful in his recent diplomatic efforts.

Russia gives Turkey one last month for solution in Syria

Ankara has won some breathing room in Syria, having one month to persuade radical forces to give up their guns, leave Idlib, join a Turkish-backed rebel alliance or face a crushing assault by the Syrian regime supported by Russian forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russia September 17, 2018. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS - RC18F9BB9500

What Putin-Erdogan deal means for Idlib

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hammered out a deal on "demilitarizing" Idlib that both parties seem to be content with — yet serious political and military challenges persist.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during a news conference following their talks in Sochi, Russia September 17, 2018. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS - UP1EE9H1AUD0U

Turkey, Russia agree to buffer zone in Syria’s Idlib

Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they will create a demilitarized zone to separate rebels from Syrian forces in what Turkey believes will prevent an attack on the opposition stronghold.

A man checks an apartment on a damaged building at the site of a blast in the town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, near the Turkish-Syrian border, May 13, 2013. Syria's information minister has blamed Turkey's government for deadly car bombings near the Syrian border and branded Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan a "murderer", state-run Russian TV company RT reported on Monday. It said he repeated a denial of Syrian involvement in car bombings that killed 46 people on Saturday in the Turkish border town of Reyhan

Turkey nabs bombing suspect amid Idlib effort – is it a coincidence?

Turkey’s capture of the alleged mastermind of the 2013 Reyhanli bombing — the biggest Syria-related injury it has suffered — had intriguing timing, coinciding with Ankara’s efforts to prevent a regime offensive on Idlib.

Syrian fighters attend a mock battle in anticipation of an attack by the regime on Idlib province and the surrounding countryside, during a graduation of new Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) members at a camp in the countryside of the northern Idlib province on August 14, 2018. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Al-Qaeda, foreign fighters have nowhere to go from Idlib

Erdogan appeals for support to "moderate rebels," but what may ultimately matter is US-Russia common ground; Al-Monitor's award-winning lobbying series and archive now available.

U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura attends a meeting during consultations on Syria at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland September 11, 2018. Salvatore Di Nolfi/Pool via REUTERS - RC11EE43CD10

Washington ramps up diplomatic efforts to stave off Idlib operation

The new US Syria diplomatic team ramps up diplomacy as it tries to bolster Turkish and European efforts to avert assault on Idlib.

People shop at the Spice market, also known as the Egyptian Bazaar, in Istanbul, Turkey August 17, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1261C678C0

Low-income Turks take early crisis blows

Turkey’s economic turmoil is already bruising millions of minimum wage earners, who are grappling with a flurry of price hikes and the prospect of losing jobs.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari, Russia's special envoy on Syria Alexander Lavrentiev, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal, and U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura attend a meeting during consultations on Syria at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland September 11, 2018. Salvatore Di Nolfi/Pool via REUTERS - RC1A114E23C0

Russia pushes for constitutional committee amid uncertainty over Idlib

As a military campaign on Idlib looms uncertain, Russia, Turkey and Iran make progress on a constitutional committee in Geneva.