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Turkey

Turkey

September 28, 2026

Ankara 5:13 am

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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

A plainclothes policeman shouts after an explosion, which was followed by two further blasts, in front of Cairo University April 2, 2014. A series of explosions outside Cairo University killed two people on Wednesday, including a police brigadier-general, security officials said, in what appeared to be the latest militant attack in a fast-growing insurgency. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3JNLM

Terrorism expands from Sinai to Cairo

Armed extremist groups in Egypt have spread their operations from the remote areas of the Sinai Peninsula to the densely populated metropolises of Cairo and the Delta.

A wounded Islamist rebel fighter carries his weapon during what they said was a takeover of the Furn Al-Ali building that was under control by the Syrian regime in Ramouseh, an area located beside Aleppo Artillery school April 12, 2014. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3L05C

West Aleppo faces unending assault

West Aleppo is suffering intense, continuous bombardment as Islamist rebels sustain their largest offensive yet on regime-held areas.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi February 7, 2014. REUTERS/Alexei Nikolsky/RIA Novosti/Kremlin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTX18C9Z

Turkey, Russia tread cautious line over Ukraine

As the conflict between Russia and the West heats up, Ankara and Moscow are finding their neighborly relationship ever more challenging to maintain.

U.S. President Barack Obama (2nd L) is escorted from Marine One to Air Force One as he departs Saudi Arabia to return to Washington March 29, 2014. Obama sought to reassure Saudi King Abdullah on Friday that he would support moderate Syrian rebels and reject a bad nuclear deal with Iran, during a visit designed to allay the kingdom's concerns that its decades-old U.S. alliance had frayed. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3J2HK

US, Saudi drifting apart despite Obama visit

The core pillars that sustained the US-Saudi alliance for decades are crumbling, as changing geopolitical, energy and regional dynamics strain relations.

Shoppers walk in Grand Bazaar in Istanbul April 26, 2008. For hundreds of years Istanbul has lured intrepid travellers in search of the exotic carpets, jewelry and fabrics which filled the ancient alleways of the city's Grand Bazaar. Istanbul's shops are now more likely to entice customers with the wares of Nike, Samsung and GAP as shopping malls sprout across the city at a dizzying pace - a phenomenom which strikingly illustrates Turkey's emerging prosperity. To match Feature TURKEY-MALLS/ REUTERS/Osman

Can Turkey work miracle on current account deficit?

Turkey’s battle against its gaping current account deficit appears to be going well, but dependence on foreign energy supplies remains a major stumbling block.

Members of the Lebanese Civil Defence stand in the sea near a Lebanese flag during a protest in Beirut April 9, 2014. Workers from public sectors went on strike on Wednesday to demand more rights. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3KJCX

Lebanon’s new pulse

In the shadow of the Syrian war, Lebanon may be discovering a new social contract.

A woman shields her face from tear gas during clashes between students, who are supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and ousted President Mohamed Mursi, and riot police in Cairo University at Kasr El Aini street in downtown Cairo April 9, 2014. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST EDUCATION) - RTR3KL3Q

Who betrayed Egypt’s revolution?

Egyptian activists struggle to determine who is to blame for Egypt’s predicament, and how to set the revolution, and the country, back on track.

Children are seen in computer class at the Fatih College in Istanbul April 16, 2008. The 640-pupil school is run by followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish Muslim preacher who advocates moderate Islam rooted in modern life, and whose teachings have inspired millions of Turks to forge a powerful socio-religious community active in publishing, charity and above all education. The Gulen movement has built up a network of some 800 schools around the world, teaching a full curriculum but with a strong focus on s

Turkish schools abroad victims of AKP-Gulen conflict

The struggle between the AKP and the Gulen movement threatens more than 2,000 Turkish schools abroad, which have been seen as the country's most "valuable export commodity" and a "source of prestige."

Protesters hold placards depicting Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan as a cat during a demostration in front of the Supreme Electoral Board (YSK) in Ankara April 2, 2014. Riot police set up barricades as Turks continued to protest, demanding a partial recount in national polls that saw Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party sweep the electoral map. The placards read, "cat enters the transformer unit", referring to a statement by Energy Minister Taner Yildiz blaming cats for the reason behind the

Erdogan’s quixotic battle against social media

The Turkish prime minister’s battles with Twitter and YouTube undermine his government’s international credibility.

Turkey's President Abdullah Gul (R) and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attend a delivery ceremony for the first nationally designed combat ship TCG Heybeliada at the Tuzla Naval shipyard in Istanbul September 27, 2011. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR2RWLG

Turkey's doctrine of pre-emptive authoritarianism

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “iron will” is tailor-made for a political culture in which concession is condemned as weakness and authoritarianism is praised as the only way to deal with opponents.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry climbs up the stairs of the plane to leave Tel Aviv April 1, 2014. Kerry met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second time in less than 12 hours on Tuesday in an effort to salvage stalled peace talks with the Palestinians. Kerry broke into his travel schedule on Monday for a flying visit to Jerusalem and headed back to Europe again after his early morning discussions with Netanyahu. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3JFGX

Kerry's possible failure opens new, dark era in peace talks

Even Menachem Begin did not support annexation of West Bank lands.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, flanked by his deputy Besir Atalay (L) and Energy Minister Taner Yildiz (R), speaks during a news conference at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul April 4, 2014. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called on Friday for the central bank to cut interest rates, sending the lira lower, and said he favoured keeping a three-term limit for ruling party deputies, suggesting he may run in August presidential polls. In his first public comments since a victory speech a

Erdogan pushes for interest rate cut

Boosted by his party's performance in municipal elections, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has renewed pressure on the Central Bank to cut interest rates, but the bank fears premature cuts amid rising inflation could destabilize the economy.