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Turkey

Turkey

June 17, 2026

Ankara 12:06 am

18°C

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Orthodox Patriarch of Bartholomew at the presidential complex, Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2026.

Culture

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary

The meeting comes ahead of US President Trump’s expected attendance at next month's NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey, after Trump personally urged his Turkish counterpart to reopen the Halki Seminary.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 22, 2026.

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Moscow as S-400 sanctions issue returns to fore

The visit comes weeks before Turkey hosts NATO leaders, on the sidelines of which Ankara hopes to reach a deal with Washington over CAATSA sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400s.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

The latest Erdogan-Netanyahu clash underscored how Turkey-Israel tensions have grown beyond the Palestinian issue and into a wider regional rivalry spanning Syria, Lebanon, Iran and the eastern Mediterranean.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Feature

Turkey’s World Cup return clouded by politics, dawn kickoffs

Turkey finally has the World Cup moment it waited 24 years for, but much of the country will either be asleep for it or arguing over efforts to claim it.

Ezgi Akin

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

Latest News

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

Analysis

As Trump admin drops Halkbank case, S-400 last big hurdle in US-Turkey ties

Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile launching system is displayed at the exposition field in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow on Aug. 22, 2017 during the first day of the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2017.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Ankara hardens opposition to KRG referendum

As the Sept. 25 referendum approaches, Ankara seems to be toughening its stance against Iraqi Kurdistan's independence move, while a mob attacked the funeral procession for the mother of a Kurdish politician.

Turkey's Erdogan defends Rohingya to enhance image

Big political ambitions lurk behind Erdogan’s vocal defense of suffering Muslims in Myanmar, as Ankara’s own human rights record casts doubt on his credibility.

Turkey nominates Korean War story for Oscar

"Ayla: The Daughter of War," the story of a Turkish soldier who saves a Korean orphan during the Korean War, is Turkey’s candidate for the Academy Awards' Best Foreign Language Film.

A man looks at a printed banner of Kurdistan region referendum in Erbil, Iraq August 26, 2017. Picture taken August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1D90FE8B20

200,000 Jewish Kurds headed for Iraqi Kurdistan, howls Turkish press

The Turkish media is abuzz with the story of a secret agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Israel to resettle Jewish Israelis of Kurdish origin in Iraqi Kurdistan after the independence referendum, and some quarters are taking the news as an indication of US support for Kurdish independence.

Erdogan trouble continues with US indictment

The US indictment and issue of an arrest warrant for Turkey’s former economy minister has created more setbacks for Ankara, where many believe the ultimate target of the investigation is President Erdogan.

Why are Turks flocking to Greece?

A combination of economic, social and political factors has led to a significant increase in the number of Turks vacationing in Greece.

Demonstrators stand around a copy of the daily Cumhuriyet newspaper during a rally in the Silivri district of Istanbul on September 11, 2017.
The controversial trial of staff from Turkey's main opposition daily resumes on September 11, 2017 in a case seen as a test for press freedom under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. / AFP PHOTO / OZAN KOSE (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

No release for jailed journalists in Turkey’s Cumhuriyet case

During the latest hearing in a state lawsuit against journalists from Turkey's Cumhuriyet newspaper, the court has upheld its decision to keep the defendants in jail until the next hearing.

How wise is Turkey’s plan to revoke Gulen’s citizenship?

Ankara has laid the legal groundwork to revoke the citizenship of the accused mastermind of last year’s coup attempt, Fethullah Gulen, a controversial move in which some see covert motives.

Head of Turkey's intelligence service, Hakan Fidan arrives for a press conference on October 10, 2016 in Istanbul.
Putin visits Turkey on October 10 for talks with counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, pushing forward ambitious joint energy projects as the two sides try to overcome a crisis in ties. / AFP / OZAN KOSE (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish spy chief headed for Erbil, whisper KRG officials

Rumor has it that the head of Turkish intelligence is planning a trip to Erbil, where he would face an uphill struggle to free Turkish operatives allegedly held there and perhaps discourage the upcoming referendum on independence.

Iran, Turkey to send aid to Myanmar’s Muslims

Iranians condemn the inaction of the United Nations with respect to the plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

Iraqi Kurds’ referendum fever spills over to Turkish cousins

As Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence vote nears, some Turkish Kurds are making efforts to thaw Turkish opposition to the referendum.

‘Earth is flat,’ pro-Erdogan youth leader argues

The conspiratorial mindset that led an AKP youth leader to doubt that the Earth is round is the signal of a powerful ideological drive in today’s Turkey.