Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides announced that the United Nations is likely to launch a new push to resolve the Cyprus issue before Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' term ends this year. He cited Guterres' encouragement from March discussions with Turkish President Erdogan. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, and the last meaningful negotiations collapsed in 2017. This development signals a potential renewed diplomatic effort to reunify the island.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Astana, Kazakhstan on May 13, 2026, for a two-day visit that includes bilateral talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and participation in the Informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Turkistan. The leaders are expected to discuss deepening strategic cooperation in energy, transportation, trade, and defense, with a focus on the Middle Corridor trade route, Caspian transit, and energy security. The visit reflects growing ties between the two Turkic nations amid geopolitical shifts from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Türkiye's Foreign Ministry announced on May 13, 2026, that bureaucratic preparations for direct trade with Armenia have been finalized as of May 11, 2026, under confidence-building measures initiated in 2022. The new arrangement permits goods transiting through a third country to list Armenia or Türkiye as the final destination or departure point. Technical efforts to open the common border continue. This step marks progress in the normalization process between the two countries and aims to strengthen economic relations and regional cooperation in the South Caucasus.

Turkey showcased its post-earthquake reconstruction efforts in Hatay to international officials and media as part of preparations for the COP31 climate summit. Environment Minister Murat Kurum highlighted the construction of 455,000 homes and workplaces across 11 provinces since the 2023 earthquakes. International officials praised the speed and scale of the rebuilding, describing it as a model for resilient city development.

German wind turbine manufacturer Enercon announced a €50 million investment to establish a rotor blade production facility in Bergama, Izmir, Turkey, creating 700 direct jobs. The plant will produce blades for its E-175 EP5 E2 model, targeting the Turkish market initially and later Eastern and Southern Europe, supporting Turkey's renewable energy ecosystem and local content requirements.

Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum visited Beijing and agreed with Chinese counterparts to set up a joint working group on residential development and urbanization. Discussions also covered cooperation for the COP31 climate summit Turkey will host in Antalya, urban planning, housing policies, and smart cities, with a memorandum of understanding to be signed.

FAO Assistant Director-General Viorel Gutu, speaking at the 5th Istanbul International Water Forum, emphasized that COP31, hosted by Türkiye, presents a crucial opportunity to integrate agri-food systems into climate discussions. He highlighted that agriculture accounts for 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and faces a $1.3 trillion annual financing gap. Gutu called for improved water-use efficiency in agriculture, which currently yields only $0.7 per cubic meter, and urged investment in adaptation and resilience to climate shocks. He also noted that 673 million people faced hunger in 2024 and 2.5 billion lack access to healthy diets, with the global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, underscoring the growing urgency to address food systems in global climate policy.

Turkish intelligence and police arrested Mohamed Boulakhrif, a Moroccan national wanted internationally for drug trafficking, in a joint operation in Istanbul's Şişli district. The suspect, described as a leading Moroccan drug trafficker, used encrypted communication apps to conceal his activities. He is expected to be deported after legal procedures.

Turkey's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced a capacity increase of 18,664 seats on high-speed, mainline, and regional trains operated by Turkish State Railways (TCDD) to meet surging demand during the nine-day Eid al-Adha holiday. Extra high-speed services will run on the Ankara-Istanbul route on May 23-24 and May 30-31, and 260 additional wagons will be added to other routes. The move aims to ensure safe and comfortable travel for citizens visiting family during the holiday.

Turkic states including Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan adopted the 'Gaziantep Declaration' at a conference in Gaziantep, committing to strengthen international cooperation against illicit trafficking of cultural property. The declaration emphasizes coordination, information sharing, and capacity building, with observers from Hungary, Turkmenistan, UNESCO, and UNODC. This initiative addresses the transnational crime of cultural property trafficking, which threatens shared historical memory.