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Turkey

Turkey

September 27, 2026

Ankara 7:53 pm

20°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

Turkey's Prime Minister and presidential candidate Tayyip Erdogan greets his supporters at the end of a meeting to launch his election campaign in Istanbul July 11, 2014. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3Y75D

Will Erdogan's presidency firm up Turkey's regional position?

Turkey is suffering serious blows to its security and economy because of its own regional policy mistakes, and can expect more of the same from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as president.

Turkey's Twitter "spies"

The political war between the Erdogan government and the Gülen Movement has a propaganda aspect, with each side seeing the other as the proxy of a detested enemy.

DENIZLI, TURKEY: Tourists enjoy the travertine pools in Pamukkale visited by thousands every year located 20 kilometers from the town of Denizli nearby ancient city Hierapolis western Turkey, 19 August 2004. Pamukkale (Cotton Castle) is a white cascade from sources containing chalky water which formed stalactites, basins and terraces. The calcium-rich water is renown for its healing qualities for eye and skin diseases, for softening rheumatism, asthma and dermatitis crisis. Today is not allowed any more to

Turkey's tourism renaissance

The number of tourists visiting Turkey has risen from 1.6 million to 39.2 million in three decades, placing it sixth among the world’s most popular destinations.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (C), speaks with Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah (R) and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu before they make statements to reporters during their meeting regarding a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, in Paris July 26, 2014. REUTERS/Charles Dharapak/Pool (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR407H7

Israeli officials: United States chose Qatar over us

The Israeli leadership estimates that the cease-fire initiative of US Secretary of State John Kerry responds well to the interests of Qatar, Turkey, Hamas and its own interests with Qatar — but hardly addresses Israel's security needs.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L), Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah (R) and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu take part in discussions regarding a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, at the Turkish ambassador's residence in Paris July 26, 2014. REUTERS/Charles Dharapak/Pool (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR407S7

Turkey, Qatar seek foothold in Gaza talks

Turkey and Qatar, having alienated regional powers with their support of Hamas, are finding it hard to gain influence in Gaza cease-fire negotiations.

Turkish spy agency's image makeover

Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) is undergoing a controversial image repair and institutional reconstruction after court proceedings revealed the agency's role in murders during the 1990s.

Islamic State urges Turkish businessmen to return to Iraq

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Turkey's economy minister says that in addition to IS prompting Turkish businessmen to return to Iraq, trade with Israel remains unaffected despite the current crisis, and 2015 will see an increase in exports and decrease in deficit.

Turkey's Prime Minister and presidential candidate Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during a meeting to launch his election campaign in Istanbul July 11, 2014. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3Y72V

If Erdogan wins presidency, what next?

If Recep Tayyip Erdogan is successful in Turkey's upcoming presidential elections, it could mark the rise of a one-man state.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to reporters after meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah July 23, 2014. Israeli forces pounded Gaza on Wednesday, meeting stiff resistance from Hamas Islamists and sending thousands of residents fleeing, as Kerry said on his visit to Israel ceasefire talks had made some progress. Israel launched its offensive on July 8 to halt missile salvoes by Hamas and its allies, struggling under the weight of an Israeli-Egyptian economic

New moves by Saudi Arabia, Qatar signal drive for cease-fire

Regional capitals are seeing intense diplomatic activity, while regional powers and Washington agree on the need to end the war in Gaza as soon as possible.

A general view of the venue during an extraordinary session of the Arab League at the league's headquarters in Cairo July 14, 2014. Egypt launched an initiative on Monday to halt fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants, proposing a ceasefire to be followed by talks in Cairo on settling the conflict in which Gaza authorities say more than 170 people have died. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3YNOV

Cease-fire initiatives pit Turkey against Egypt

Is Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan more concerned with undermining Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi than to broker a cease-fire in Gaza?

A man enters the Bourse Istanbul in Istanbul December 17, 2013. Turkey's Bourse Istanbul could acquire a minority stake in Nasdaq OMX Group as part of a tie-up that will involve the Turkish exchange using Nasdaq's market technologies, its chairman Ibrahim Turhan said on December 31, 2013. Bourse Istanbul will buy stock trading and clearing software and infrastructure from Nasdaq OMX and will be able to use and resell the software in 25 countries, in a move designed to attract more trade from the world's lea

Will foreign investment in Turkey return to pre-crisis levels?

Foreign direct investment is rising in Turkey and expected to reach $16 billion by the end of the year and eventually the pre-2008 crisis level of $20 billion.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara July 15, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3YQ61

Relations with Turkey sink lower after Erdogan's Israel comments

The surge of anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli demonstrations in Turkey, inspired by critical remarks from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, forces Israel to set aside attempts at reconciliation.