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Turkey

Turkey

May 5, 2026

Ankara 12:46 am

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Sabah Fidan

Turkey hosts Kuwaiti FM as UAE's OAPEC exit fuels Gulf rift

Kuwait's top diplomat visited Turkey as the Gulf rift deepens following the UAE’s exit from OPEC and its affiliated alliances, forcing Ankara to balance ties between Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

Zaidi

Analysis

Iraq’s Zaidi offers economic promise for Turkey but unknowns loom

Iraq’s prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, is expected to sustain growing economic and strategic ties with Turkey thanks to his business-oriented approach, though uncertainty over his political stance could test cooperation on sensitive issues.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), from the British Army's 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, No. 2 Company, patrol along the buffer zone separating the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the divided capital Nicosia on Feb. 17, 2026.

Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know

A potential French deployment to Greek Cyprus comes amid Turkey’s growing concerns of strategic encirclement in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Latest News

Turkey advances gas pipeline plan to northern Cyprus as East Med rivalry grows

This aerial photograph shows Turkey's first floating natural gas production platform, "Osman Gazi," passing through the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, on May 29, 2025.

In first, Libya’s rival armies to join drill in Turkey: What to know

Cadets of the Saiqa Force (Special Forces) of the self-styled Libyan National Army affiliated with eastern strongman Khalifa Hifter take part in a graduation ceremony in tribute to the force's late commander, Wanis Bukhamada, in the eastern city of Benghazi, on Jan. 20, 2022.

Turkey’s military spending jumps to $30B, leads Mideast growth in 2025

Turkey's submarines and fast-attack craft ships 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.

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the margins of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, on April 17, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Wounded residents rest at a home in the southeastern town of Cizre in Sirnak province, Turkey, September 12, 2015. In the town of Cizre, scene of intense clashes between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Turkish army, residents ventured out to stock up on groceries and check on their shops after authorities lifted a nine-day round-the-clock curfew at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT), residents said. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RTSRC2

Ongoing violence, curfews keep doctors from tending to sick in southeast Turkey

Alarm bells are ringing for the health sector in Turkey’s conflict-ridden southeast as draconian security measures and simmering violence disrupt medical services and lead to civilian deaths.

Is Turkey ignoring Islamic State threats against Christians?

Turkey’s tiny Protestant community has received recent threats believed to be from the Islamic State, but as in the past, state authorities have failed to take measures to protect the community.

Syria's new capital … Istanbul

While Europe panics over 224,000 refugees, displaced Syrians have reached 330,000 in Istanbul alone.

Turkey, PKK clashes continue, but will there be a winner?

The spiral of violence that engulfed Turkey on July 20 is worsening by the day.

Did Jabhat al-Nusra kill 'allied' FSA Commander Radoon?

Responsibility for the assassination of Free Syrian Army Cmdr. Jamil Radoon Aug. 26 remains unclaimed, raising suspicions whether Jabhat al-Nusra could be behind this act.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (R) is welcomed by Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan as he arrives for a meeting at Erdogan's office in Ankara June 9, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3SVX6

After tumultuous history, what's next for Turkish-Iranian relations?

For Turkey and Iran, preventing differences over regional issues from spilling into their bilateral relations will — now more than ever — be a balancing act.

Is Turkey heading toward civil war?

Following the deaths of 30 soldiers and police in PKK operations, a nationwide wave of attacks on Kurds has increased the risk of deepening ethnic strife and stoking renewed separatist sentiment.

Co-chairman of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, Selahattin Demirtas walks with his party members to the southeastern town of Cizre, near Idil in Sirnak province, Turkey, September 10, 2015. Pro-Kurdish politicians, including cabinet ministers, attempted to march to a town in southeast Turkey on Thursday to protest a week-old curfew there, as their party came under fire from President Tayyip Erdogan and from a court investigation of their leader. Conflict between militants of the Kurdistan Workers

Can Turkey pull back from brink of civil conflict?

HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtas' "civil war" warning may not be entirely overblown.

PKK's IED attacks catch Turkish military off guard

The majority of Turkish security forces killed fighting the Kurdistan Workers Party since early July have died in attacks using improvised explosive devices, a tactic the Turkish military had not anticipated.

A sailor looks at the Russian missile cruiser Moskva moored in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol in this May 10, 2013 file photo. Russia is sending two warships to the east Mediterranean, Interfax news agency said on August 29, 2013, but Moscow denied this meant it was beefing up its naval force there as Western powers prepare for military action against Syria. Picture taken May 10, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (UKRAINE - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS MARITIME CONFLICT) - RTX130BI

Russia's expanding military presence in Syria

Russia is apparently establishing its first air base in the Middle East, at Jableh, Syria, a move that would change the rules of the game in the region.

Struggling to keep up, conflict causes major economic setback in Turkey's poorest region

After several years of revival, the struggling economy of Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeastern region faces collapse.

Erdogan continues to stir the pot in Turkey

Erdogan’s suggestion that if the AKP had gotten 400 deputies in the June elections, then the turmoil and violence in the country today would have been avoided, causes outrage and increases tensions.