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Turkey

Turkey

May 26, 2026

Ankara 10:13 pm

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Turkish riot police use water cannon to disperse protesters during a rally called by ousted opposition leader Ozgur Ozel, days after a court dismissed him from office, in Izmir on May 26, 2026.

Turkey: Thousands defy police to rally for ousted CHP leader Ozel

Tens of thousands of CHP supporters rallied for Ozgur Ozel in Izmir on Tuesday in a major show of defiance after a court ousted him from the party leadership.

This aerial photograph taken on April 26, 2023 shows the construction of the Russian-built Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Mersin Province. - Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will try to offset his absence from the campaign trail weeks before crucial elections by unveiling the nuclear plant by video link. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

UAE nuclear plant strike clouds Gulf's atomic ambitions: What to know

The US-Israel-Iran war is complicating momentum in the Middle East for civilian nuclear power, which heading into 2026 had been growing in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and elsewhere.

United Arab Emirates

SAHA EXPO 2024

Analysis

Cheap drones, costly threats: Why Gulf states are looking to Turkey for defense deals

Iran’s drone and missile attacks have exposed gaps in Gulf and Iraqi air defenses, giving Turkey an opening for Turkish defense sales, but Ankara has a narrow window before South Korean and European competitors gain ground.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Analysis

US, Turkey boost Libya coordination, but unity push faces political hurdles

Abdullah DOMA / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

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

Analysis

Erdogan’s CHP move raises early poll prospects as Iran war bleeds Turkey’s economy

Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel, speaks to the media at CHP headquarters on May 22, 2026, in Ankara, Turkey.

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

A teller counts US dollar bills at an exchange office in Ankara, Turkey, July 20, 2023.

Turkey’s inflation tops 75% but economy czar says 'worst is over'

Finance and Economy Minister Mehmet Simsek has said that inflation will begin dropping from June.

A launch from the RM-70 Vampir Multiple Launch Rocket System during the Super Garuda Shield 2023 joint military exercise including Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and the US, Situbondo, East Java, Sept. 10, 2023.

Analysis

Can Turkey help Europe build effective air and missile defense system?

With Turkey joining the German-led European Sky Shield Initiative, in the long run Ankara could use its burgeoning Hisar and Siper platforms to improve Europe’s air and missile defense.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (R) and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands after a joint statement to the media in Baghdad on April 22, 2024.

Iraq's PM says Baghdad mediating potential Syria-Turkey reconciliation

The Iraqi prime minister says he is in contact with the Turkish and Syrian presidents as part of reconciliation efforts

Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his wife, Emine Erdogan, attend a rally in solidarity with Palestinians in Istanbul on October 28, 2023.

For some Palestinians who adored Turkey's Erdogan, Gaza response ‘too little, too late’

While prior to Oct. 7 the Turkish leader was viewed favorably among wide swaths of Palestinians for his harsh rhetoric against Israel, many now say he's done too little since the outbreak of the war.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's Erdogan threatens Syrian Kurdish groups as local elections near

The Turkish president said his country would "not hesitate to take action" as Ankara dials up its threats of a fresh military incursion into regions held by Kurdish-led groups in Syria.

ILKER ERAY/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Protests against Israel spread in Turkey following Rafah strike

As Israel's Rafah strike sparked protests across the country, Turkey’s National Security Council implicitly criticized Washington for police interventions in pro-Palestinian protests in US colleges.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi attend a joint press conference in Ankara, on Jan. 24, 2024.

How Raisi’s death will impact Turkey-Iran geopolitical rivalry

While leaders and some commentators in Turkey posthumously praised the late Iranian president and foreign minister, many geopolitical challenges await Ankara and Tehran once Iran elects a new president.

Kurdish women hold portraits of their missing sons on May 18, 2011, during a demonstration in Istanbul against the recent killing of 12 Kurdish rebels by security forces.

Many faces of motherhood in Turkey: From new Mothers Museum to 1,000th vigil of Saturday mothers

As a new museum in Ankara pays homage to motherhood, the mothers of the country remain a fractured group, divided by political lines and economic woes

This photograph taken in Lyon, eastern France, on Sept. 5, 2023, shows the entrance of the International Criminal Police Organization headquarters, known as Interpol.

Interpol red notice for mother, son who fled Turkey to US after hit-and-run

A lawyer of the family of the man who died in the fatal car crash says the move raised their hopes for justice.

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and the head of China's National Energy Administration in Beijing on May 22, 2024.

China, Turkey ink 'energy transition' deal during Bayraktar's visit

The deal was signed as part of the Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar's visit to China.

Passengers getting off a Turkish airline plane after it landed at the Kabul International Airport in Kabul on May 21, 2024.

Turkey's flag carrier resumes flights to Afghanistan after 3-year pause

The Turkish envoy hailed the resumption of flights as a “new era.”

A Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drone is on view during a presentation at the Lithuanian Air Force Base in Siauliai, Lithuania, on July 6, 2022.

Turkey's fastest drone plays key role locating Iran helicopter crash site

The location of the helicopter crash site was identified by Turkey’s Akinci drone, according to Turkish officials, after Ankara sent teams to help Iran's search mission.