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Turkey

Turkey

June 10, 2026

Ankara 10:57 pm

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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan buttons up his jacket during a press conference after the conclusion of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on November 23, 2025.

Explainer

Turkey-Israel tensions flare over Syria, Lebanon, East Med: What to know

The Turkish president has accused Israel of threatening Turkey through its military actions in Syria, Lebanon and the Eastern Mediterranean, triggering a sharp exchange with the Israeli prime minister.

Aamir QURESHI / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Turkey names new envoys to Iran, Oman, Qatar in regional reshuffle

Turkey’s latest ambassadorial changes mark a partial return to career diplomacy in Tehran and the Gulf as Ankara maintains a balancing act amid the Iran war.

Rahmi Koc

Analysis

Turkey's probe into pro-secular tycoon goes beyond crude Kurdish joke

Rahmi Koc is under investigation after a widely condemned joke about Kurdish women, but critics say the case reflects deeper tensions over free expression and selective justice in Turkey.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Explainer

Saudi Arabia, Turkey advance plans to revive historic Hejaz Railway

An old locomotive sits outside the Hejaz rail station in old Damascus on February 23, 2010. The Hejaz railway ran from Damascucs to Medina in Saudi Arabia and was part of the Ottoman railway network. AFP PHOTO/LOUAI BESHARA (Photo credit should read LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Will Pashinyan’s victory in Armenia be enough to unlock peace with Turkey, Azerbaijan?

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Sept. 24, 2024.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Explainer

Venezuela’s Delcy Rodriguez meets Erdogan in surprise Turkey visit: What to know

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/06/will-pashinyans-victory-armenia-be-enough-unlock-peace-turkey-azerbaijan

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

U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attend the start of the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium July 11, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC117DD2EDF0

Erdogan says Trump responded 'positively' to Turkey’s threats on Syria

According to Ankara, the US president expressed support both for its stance against US-allied Kurdish militants in Syria and its efforts to extradite Fethullah Gulen as its chief suspect in the 2016 Turkish coup attempt.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and intelligence chief Hakan Fidan are seen before a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia August 24, 2018. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS - RC1992C13F10

Why was Turkey's intel chief in Washington?

Turkish intel chief Hakan Fidan's visit to the United States generated an uproar from the Turkish opposition. Why did Erdogan encourage this public bashing of Fidan?

Tulips, with the Byzantine-era monument of Hagia Sophia in the background, are pictured at Sultanahmet square during the 12th Tulip Festival in Istanbul, Turkey, April 22, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1886DA2540

What brings the end of tulip era in Turkey's tourism campaign?

Turkey has used a tulip logo in its national branding for nearly two decades, but it signaled that a new symbol may be needed next year.

A member of the Saturday Mothers looks out of the window of Human Rights Association after they were prevented by the security forces to march to Galatasaray Square, where they hold a vigil every week, sitting in silence and holding pictures of relatives who went missing in police detention, in Istanbul, Turkey September 8, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1FDA40D300

Will Turkey's horrible human rights record extend to 2019?

Turkey is closing out 2018 without taking a breather from its oppressive tactics for stifling dissent.

Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 24, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC16679678B0

Saudi ambassador again departs US amid Khashoggi controversy

Ambassador Khalid bin Salman, who has faced scrutiny over his public handling of the Jamal Khashoggi affair, has left Washington for the second time since the journalist’s killing.

The Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) Leaders are seen ahead of their Summit meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 9, 2018. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC1A2BB78CC0

What will 2019 have in store for dysfunctional GCC?

The Gulf Cooperation has essentially been split in, with Qatar, Kuwait and Oman resisting the actions of Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed.

Syrian people look on behind an olive tree branch as they arrive at a check point in the village of Anab ahead of crossing to the Turkish-backed Syrian rebels side on March 17, 2018, as civilians flee the city of Afrin in northern Syria.
More than 200,000 civilians have fled the city of Afrin in northern Syria in less than three days to escape a Turkish-led military offensive against a Kurdish militia, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. / AFP PHOTO / BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read

Turkey's 'Olive Branch' takes root in Syrian olive business

Kurdish olive growers in Afrin, Syria, complain bitterly that Turkish authorities who control the area aren't doing anything to stop massive exploitation and armed extortion that is costing the local oil economy $100 million.

Syrian Democratic Forces and U.S. troops are seen during a patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC1E38C9BA00

Pentagon warns Turkey against operation targeting Syrian Kurds

Despite Turkey's threats to attack the US-allied Kurdish militia in Syria, there is little evidence that Washington would let Ankara move into the Syrian Kurdish area under its protection.

Turkey’s recession becomes official

The shrinking Turkish economy needs external funds to start growing again, but luring foreign investors back is a tall task that Turkey is unlikely to accomplish in the short run.

A Turkish military tank is seen near Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC17EC8A27B0

Erdogan says Turkish troops to march into northeast Syria

Some experts think Erdogan's threat to send troops into northeast Syria is a trial balloon that has more to do with Turkey's March 31 local elections than anything else, but others take his statements more seriously.

A man wearing a yellow vest and holding a French flag stands on a bridge near the Nantes Atlantique Airport as the "yellow vests" movement continues, in Bouguenais, France, December 11, 2018. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe - RC1FB4AA8210

Yellow Vest protests cause satisfaction and resentment in Turkey

Protests in Paris have ignited fears of copycat demonstrations against President Erdogan in Turkey.

A border tower is seen at the Armenian side of Armenian-Turkish border in the village of Getap, some 85 km (53 miles) north-west of the capital Yerevan, November 1, 2009. The historic prospect of peace with longtime foe Turkey has roused angry opposition among powerful Armenian nationalists, which could yet undermine President Serzh Sarksyan and torpedo the whole process. Picture taken November 1, 2009. To match analysis ARMENIA-TURKEY/DIVISION REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili (ARMENIA POLITICS CONFLICT) - G

Intel: Why Armenia wants to make peace with Turkey