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Turkey

Turkey

September 27, 2026

Ankara 11:35 am

19°C

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (3rd R) with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud (R) and Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (2nd R), Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman (C), Turkish Chief of the General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu (L), Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif (2nd R), Pakistani Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir (3rd R) at the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee in relation to the

Analysis

Why Turkey is drawing the line at defense in its support for Saudi Arabia

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia are forcing Mecca pact signatories to quickly operationalize their agreement, but are unlikely to draw Turkey into direct action against the Iran-backed group.

Ezgi Akin

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

Turkish soldiers conduct military exercises near the Habur crossing gate between Turkey and Iraq on Sept. 27, 2017 in the Silopi district, southeast Turkey.

Analysis

Can Turkey’s Bashiqa withdrawal pave the way for deeper Iraq ties?

Ankara hopes the planned handover of its Bashiqa base will deepen security cooperation with Baghdad and unlock broader economic ties, but implementation hinges on restoring Iraqi state authority in Sinjar, where previous efforts to remove armed groups have stalled.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Turkey warns Greece-Cyprus-Israel power cable needs Ankara's approval

Servicemen of Yavuz class, TCG Turgutreis (F-241) warship, stand at attention on the deck as they participate in the live-fire phase of the "Blue Homeland-2026" (Mavi Vatan) tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Explainer

Turkey agrees to hand over contentious Bashiqa base to Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New York City, Sept. 23, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Alevi demonstrators shout anti-goverment slogans during a protests against the latest violence in Okmeydani, a working-class district in the center of the city, in Istanbul May 25, 2014. Two people died last week after clashes between Turkish police and protesters in Okmeydani, a working-class district of Istanbul, stirring fears of further unrest as the anniversary of last year's anti-government demonstrations approaches. Okmeydani is home to a community of Alevis, a religious minority in mainly Sunni Musl

Davutoglu's gestures fall short of Alevi demands

Turkey’s prime minister seeks a fresh “opening” with the Alevi community, but his gestures are far from meeting fundamental Alevi demands.

Iraqi prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (R) speaks at a news conference with Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Baghdad, November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Hadi Mizban/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4EWED

Ankara, Baghdad turn over new leaf in relationship

Prospects for political, economic and security cooperation between Ankara, Baghdad and Erbil look much better today despite issues that have to be ironed out.

A demonstrator hold pictures of Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen (R), during a protest against Turkey's ruling AK Party (AKP), demanding the resignation of Erdogan, in Istanbul December 30, 2013. Erdogan swore on Sunday he would survive a corruption crisis circling his cabinet, saying those seeking his overthrow would fail just like mass anti-government protests last summer. Gulen denies involvement in stirring up the graft case, but he regularly censures Erdogan, a

Former police chief speaks out about Turkey’s 'parallel state'

Former police Chief Hanefi Avci, among the first to expose Turkey’s “parallel state” and one of its high-profile victims, retains a realistic and cool-headed attitude on the issue, unlike some pro-government propagandists.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (R), Speaker of the Turkish parliament Cemil Cicek and Chief of Staff General Necdet Ozel (L) attend a ceremony at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, marking the anniversary of his death, in Ankara November 10, 2014. Thousands of Turks visited Ataturk's mausoleum on his 76th death anniversary. Ataturk, the first president of Turkey from 1923 and founder of the modern secular state, died on November 10, 1938. He was 57. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVE

Turkish government, military at odds over Gulenists

Turkey’s military is back in the headlines, but this time as an “injured party,” defending itself against allegations of Gulenist soldiers in its ranks.

Turkish Armenian lawyer and author Fethiye Cetin takes part in a discussion at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 15, 2008. Turkey is guest of honour at the 60th edition of the book fair, which takes place from October 15 to 19, 2008. Fethiye Cetin is the lawyer of the family of slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. AFP PHOTO / JOHN MACDOUGALL (Photo credit should read JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish woman's search gives voice to Islamized Armenians

In an exclusive interview, Fethiye Cetin, a human rights lawyer from Turkey, reflects on her courageous journey of coming out of the closet about a hidden Armenian grandmother.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) attends a news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in Strelna near St. Petersburg, November 22, 2013. Putin said on Friday Western states must persuade the Syrian opposition to attend talks with President Bashar al-Assad's government which he said should take place as soon as possible. REUTERS/Aleksey Nikolskyi/RIA Novosti/Kremlin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT)

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Despite differences, Turkey, Russia forge on

President Vladimir Putin plans to travel to Ankara soon to “open up new horizons” in Turkish-Russian ties, even if the two countries differ on issues such as Syria, Ukraine and Cyprus.

Gold bars are stacked at a safe deposit room of the ProAurum gold house in Munich March 6, 2014. Gold was flat on Thursday as diplomatic efforts to cool the Ukraine crisis depressed demand for assets seen as safe, but the metal found support above $1,330 an ounce from weak U.S. economic data and ahead of a key employment report. REUTERS/Michael Dalder(GERMANY - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES SOCIETY) - RTR3G4CM

Tehran's missing $14 billion

Iranian investigation of the gold trade with Turkey, and Tehran’s pursuit of its missing $14 billion, are likely to strain bilateral ties.

Turkish soldiers stand next to a portrait of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, as they attend a farewell ceremony at the headquarters of the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps-Turkey (NRDC-T), Turkish 3rd Corps, in Istanbul January 11, 2005, on the eve of their departure to Afghanistan. Turkish 3rd Corps (NRDC-T) troops, who will start to deploy to Afghanistan on January 12, will take over the leadership of ISAF VII in Kabul between February and August 2005. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas FS/MD - RTRK9J3

Turkish military support to Afghanistan rises

While most countries are downsizing their military assistance to Afghanistan, Turkey is offering more military support and training.

An election campaign banner of Turkey's Prime Minister and presidential candidate Tayyip Erdogan is seen near a mosque in Istanbul August 9, 2014. Erdogan is set to secure his place in history as Turkey's first popularly-elected president on Sunday, but his tightening grip on power has polarised the nation, worried Western allies and raised fears of creeping authoritarianism. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR41T1P

From Ataturk to Erdogan: Turks rewrite history

In the 1930s, Ataturk promoted a radical revision of history to boost the morale of Turks, while today President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to be engaging in another historical revision to boost the morale of fellow Muslims.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve (2nd R) hosts a meeting of the European G6 interior ministers on November 6, 2014 in Paris. Interior ministers of Spain, Germany, UK, Italy and Poland were meeting with Cazeneuve on November 6 to discuss the fight against terrorism and in particular the problem of "foreign fighters" traveling in Syria and ways to combat their recruiting online. The Turkish and Canadian interior ministers, as well as the American Ministers of Justice and Homeland Security were invit

EU ministers discuss jihadist travel to Syria, border security

While the G6 meeting of interior ministers on Nov. 6 focused on jihadists traveling from Europe to Syria via Turkey, the European Parliament is considering putting in place more stringent security checks and travel restrictions.

Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) walks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the prime minister's office in Ankara September 12, 2014. Kerry met Turkish leaders on Friday to try to win support for U.S.-led military action against Islamic State, but Ankara's reluctance to play a frontline role showed the difficulty of building a coalition for a regional war. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR460SV

Davutoglu's wishful thinking

Remarks by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu that US President Barack Obama is coming around to Ankara’s position on Syria are not supported by statements from Washington.

Kurdish refugees watch from a hilltop as thick smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani during heavy fighting between Islamic State and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, seen from near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province October 26, 2014. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (TURKEY - Tags: MILITARY CONFLICT POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR4BNM6

Watching Kobani

The writer gives a personal account of his trip on Nov. 15-16 to Suruc, across from Kobani on the Turkish side of the border, and relates how locals believe that the Kobani battle may bring an end to the Islamic State in military terms.