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Turkey

Turkey

June 17, 2026

Ankara 4:30 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

Turkey's FM repeats toothless warnings against KRG independence vote

On his visit to Baghdad and Erbil, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu brought with him Turkey’s mixed signals about the planned referendum on Iraqi Kurdish independence, asking for its cancellation but naming no consequences from his country.

Turkish military upheaval continues at top levels

Recent shake-ups at senior levels of the Turkish military indicate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is placing his trust squarely with Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar.

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) is introduced by Defense Secretary James Mattis (R) during the commissioning ceremony of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. July 22, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX3CIPV

Mattis pledges Erdogan US support against PKK

By all accounts, US Defense Secretary James Mattis' visit to Turkey, intended to smooth fraught relations between the two NATO allies, went better than expected.

Local and foreign tourists watch International Oludeniz Air Games as they enjoy the sunny weather on a beach in Fethiye in Mugla province, Turkey October 11, 2016. Picture taken October 11, 2016. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz - RTSRW39

Turkey's exporters fear extended holiday may devastate their businesses

Turkey's tourism operators are overjoyed at the government decision to extend the Eid al-Adha break to 10 days, but exporters are furious at the potential loss in overseas business.

KRG doubles down on independence vote after Baghdad meeting

A visit by a Kurdish delegation to Baghdad amid strong regional and international objections to a Kurdish independence referendum failed to convince the Iraqi government of the merits of the vote.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (L) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani during the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Istanbul Summit in Istanbul, Turkey April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Berk Ozkan/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX29X07

Iran, Turkey move to re-establish role as regional backbone

Despite their major differences over key regional crises in past years, shared threats and shared objectives are once again pushing Iran and Turkey together.

Turkish dam project would wipe out ancient town

A Turkish government dam project is threatening to flood a 12,000-year-old ancient settlement, bringing Turkey to the verge of losing traces of at least 10 civilizations.

Syrians, who say they are returning to Syria ahead of Eid al-Fitr, carry their belongings as they walk to the Turkish Cilvegozu border gate located opposite of the Syrian crossing point of Bab al-Hawa in Reyhanli, in the southern Hatay province, Turkey June 14, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTS174AK

Ankara makes overtures to Idlib militants

The English-language edition of Yeni Safak has reported that Turkey asked the group to dissolve itself and for the militants, who seized Idlib province last month after routing Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham rebels, to relinquish the critical Bab al-Hawa border crossing linking Idlib to Turkey’s Hatay province.

A general view shows the damaged Grand mosque in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, Syria, February 28, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTS10UF0

Turkish foundation helps Syrians recover from devastation of war

The Turkiye Diyanet Foundation is restoring mosques in the Syrian province of Aleppo, recruiting preachers and teachers and providing hundreds of job opportunities.

A street vendor selling watermelons talks on his mobile phone as he waits for customers at Taksim square in central Istanbul June 9, 2013. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan rallied his supporters in a string of defiant speeches on Sunday as tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators massed in Istanbul's central Taksim Square. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10HOC

Turks rediscover love for watermelon

Watermelon-loving Turks are discovering new benefits of the fruit, from fighting cancer to reducing impotence, and farmers who are seeing lower demand for their watermelon are hoping this translates to higher profits.

A member of Kurdish security forces stands guard in Sinjar region, Iraq August 2, 2017. Picture taken August 2, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem - RTS1A8QS

Turkey fumes as Sinjar Yazidis declare 'democratic autonomy'

Some Yazidis have announced their opposition to the Iraqi Kurdistan independence vote, as Turkey and Iran consider attacking the Yazidi-allied PKK in the Qandil Mountains.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) poses with European Council President Donald Tusk (R) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (L) in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RTX37KFD

Turkey-EU tensions spill over to customs union accord

Amid mounting bilateral tensions, Germany has ruled out talks on improving Turkey’s customs union accord with the European Union, but such sanctions might have little effect on Ankara in the short term.