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Turkey

November 4, 2024

Ankara 9:04 pm

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Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (R) and the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahceli, talk on stage during a rally before local elections in Ankara, March 23, 2019.

Turkey ousts 3 Kurdish mayors amid renewed efforts to forge deal with PKK

The dismissals come as Ankara has renewed talks with the Kurdistan Workers' Party and as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan eyes a third term.

Visitors look at the Bayraktar Kizilelma UCAV during the opening day of SAHA EXPO 2024, an international defense and aerospace exhibition, Istanbul, Oct. 22, 2024.

Analysis

Turkey slated to boost defense exports after major arms fair sees $6.2B in contracts

While the additional foreign revenue is good news for Ankara, experts warn that success in the defense industry sector comes with potential risks.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey to ditch Siemens for China contractor to build nuclear plant

Turkey’s first nuclear power plant has faced delays due to Siemens’ lateness in delivering of key parts.

CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey announces initial payment for $23B F-16 jets deal

The first batch of payments has been made in Turkey’s nearly five-year effort to purchase new F-16 fighter jets from the United States, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

Latest News

Why Turkey's Erdogan is mulling release of PKK leader from prison

FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s Erdogan signals deadly attack won’t derail opening to Kurdish dialogue

Members of the police carry the coffins of victims of the attack that occurred on Oct. 23, 2024, at the Turkish Aviation Company facility, during a funeral ceremony on Oct. 24, 2024, in Ankara, Turkey.

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Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander: Turkey-PKK talks doomed if aimed at collapsing Kurds' self rule in Syria

Syrian Democratic Forces commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi speaks during an interview with AFP in Syria's northeastern city of Hasakeh on Oct. 26, 2024.

Mazlum Kobane

Mazlum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Analysis

With Gulen dead, Turkey sees chance to weaken group, improve US ties

The casket of Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen arrives for a prayer service at Skylands Stadium in Augusta, New Jersey, on Oct. 24, 2024.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

In London, 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

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Mustafa Sonmez

In Istanbul, reporting on economics

Abdikadir Mohamed Nour (L), the minister of defense of Somalia, signs a security pact with Turkiye’s Minister of Defense Yasar Guler, on Feb. 8, 2024.

Turkey, Somalia sign defense deal in wake of Ethiopia-Somaliland agreement

The deal, which includes cooperation against terrorism, comes as tensions in the Horn of Africa over a controversial deal between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland continue to simmer.

Turkish Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan gestures as he speaks during the first meeting of the year in Ankara, Feb. 8, 2024

Turkey’s new Central Bank chief says new hikes on table if inflation deepens

Turkey's new Central Bank chief, Fatih Karahan, signals that interest rate cuts are far off and that new hikes may be on the table, depending on the inflation outlook.

PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's manufacturer of Bayraktar drones is building plant in Ukraine

The Baykar CEO said “nothing” could impede the construction process for the joint Turkish-Ukrainian drone factory, dismissing security risks.

In an aerial view, a new housing project under construction for displaced earthquake survivors is seen in the Gulderen district on Feb. 1, 2024, in Hatay, Turkey.

With $104 billion in damages, Turkey’s earthquake region sees slow recovery

Turkey’s quake victims can hardly hope for a faster recovery, as Ankara seems to be keeping the pace of reconstruction tied to its overall economic roadmap, wary of overheating the fragile economy.

Relatives of missing persons hold placards and a banner with their portraits at the Hatay Earthquake Martyrs Cemetery, during a gathering marking the first anniversary of a powerful earthquake that hit the region, in Antakya, southern Turkish Hatay Province, on Feb. 6, 2024.

Turkey marks anniversary of deadliest earthquakes in its modern history

A year on, survivors of Turkey’s massive twin earthquakes gathered across the impact zone encompassing 11 provinces to commemorate their loved ones.

People walk past the Caglayan Justice Palace courthouse in Istanbul on March 21, 2022. - Turkey's leading activist Osman Kavala, who at the weekend marked his 1,600th day in prison without conviction, will appear in court on March 21, 2022, in a case that has strained Ankara's ties with the West. Kavala attends the court hearing via video link from his prison.

Breaking | Last Updated: February 6, 2024, 2:33 pm

Attack in Istanbul leaves 3 dead, Turkey's second in week

Authorities blame a far-left militant group for the attack, which claimed several bombings in Turkey over the past decades including a 2013 suicide bombing attack on the US Embassy in Ankara.

Hatay Archaeological Museum after the earthquake.

One year after earthquake, Turkey's ancient Antioch still devastated

Scars of the quake that killed 53,000 people and displaced millions run deep, and the road to restoration is fraught with political bickering.

Cargo is unloaded from a Russian AN-124 cargo plane transporting parts of the S-400 air defense system from Russia, after it landed at Murted Airfield on July 12, 2019 in Ankara, Turkey.

Four factors driving Turkey's calculus to trade Russian S-400s for US F-35

As its ties improve with Washington, the United States has offered Turkey an opening to return to the F-35 consortium — but only if it gives up its Russian S-400 systems.

Turkish Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan attends the Planning and Budget Commission of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (GNAT) in Ankara on Oct. 3, 2023.

Breaking | Last Updated: February 2, 2024, 6:35 pm

Turkey names Fatih Karahan as Central Bank chief after Erkan's resignation

Gaye Erkan's resignation comes after a series of allegations by former and current Central Bank employees accusing Erkan of unethical conduct.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey detains 7 suspected of spying for Israel’s Mossad

The detainment comes amid the Turkish authorities' latest crackdown on an alleged Israeli intelligence network in Turkey.

ILYAS AKENGIN/AFP via Getty Images

Kurds poised yet again to sway Istanbul race as Turkey's local polls approach

Control of Istanbul, Turkey's major seat of political power, is up for grabs as nationwide municipal elections approach.

(To go with AFP story by Mihaela Rodina) Urlati Plant Manager, Luc Viaene (L), Romanian President Traian Basescu (C) and Bob MacDonald (R), President and Chief Executive Officer of P&G, stand together during the official inauguration of a new Procter & Gamble plant in Urlati, a city 80km northeast from Bucharest, on September 29, 2010. The new factory will produce hair care products, of which 90 percent will be exported throughout the European Union and Turkey. AFP PHOTO/DANIEL MIHAILESCU (Photo by DANIEL M

Armed man in Turkey holds hostages at Procter & Gamble plant

An assailant who took seven people hostage in protest of the civilian casualties in Gaza was caught by Turkish police after nine-hour-long standoff.