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Turkey

Turkey

June 18, 2026

Ankara 5:16 pm

25°C

A Turkish police officers patrols at the scene of a motor-bike bomb explosion, next to a police station on Oct. 6, 2016, in Istanbul.

Turkey captures alleged ISIS-K media chief near Afghanistan-Pakistan border

The capture comes as Turkish authorities intensify raids against Islamic State networks following recent attacks and alleged plots.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Orthodox Patriarch of Bartholomew at the presidential complex, Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2026.

Culture

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary

The meeting comes ahead of US President Trump’s expected attendance at next month's NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey, after Trump personally urged his Turkish counterpart to reopen the Halki Seminary.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 22, 2026.

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Moscow as S-400 sanctions issue returns to fore

The visit comes weeks before Turkey hosts NATO leaders, on the sidelines of which Ankara hopes to reach a deal with Washington over CAATSA sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400s.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

The latest Erdogan-Netanyahu clash underscored how Turkey-Israel tensions have grown beyond the Palestinian issue and into a wider regional rivalry spanning Syria, Lebanon, Iran and the eastern Mediterranean.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Feature

Turkey’s World Cup return clouded by politics, dawn kickoffs

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

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

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

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

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrive to a meeting in Ankara, Turkey, February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Cem Ozdel/Pool - RC1EECDD07D0

Congress, State Department divided on sanctions against Turkey

While Congress has bipartisan support for sanctions against Turkey, the State Department is pushing back, demanding that newly established consultative mechanisms to normalize relations between the NATO allies be given time.

Czechs release Syrian Kurdish leader, won't extradite to Turkey

Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim has been released from detention in Prague, leaving Turkey fuming.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shows the way to his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Pavel Golovkin/Pool - RC1A9217F4F0

Russia's call for dialogue with Assad irritates Ankara

Pro-government Turkish analysts say Moscow’s call for dialogue between Ankara and Damascus over Afrin is an effort to sideline Turkish aims in Syria.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan chats with Jordan's King Abdullah as they pose for a group photo during an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Turkey, December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC1F351E9400

Jordan and Turkey get cozy

Jordan and Turkey are boosting political, trade and economic ties amid regional challenges and shared interests in the outcome of nearby conflicts.

Salih Muslim Muhammad chairman of the PYD, the Syrian branch of the PKK answers journalists' questions as he arrives to pay tribute to the victims of the attacks claimed by Islamic State which killed at least 129 people and left more than 350 injured, on November 17, 2015 in front of the Bataclan theatrein Paris. AFP PHOTO / ADRIEN MORLENT (Photo credit should read ADRIEN MORLENT/AFP/Getty Images)

Salih Muslim: Syria's Kurdish problems will be solved by Syrians, not Turkey

In an interview just days before being arrested in Prague at Turkey's request, Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim spoke to Al-Monitor about his relations with Ankara.

Banners with pictures of modern Turkey's founder Ataturk and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan are pictured during the opening ceremony of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Imam Hatip School in Istanbul, Turkey, September 29, 2017. Picture taken September 29, 2017. To match Special Report TURKEY-ERDOGAN/EDUCATION REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1E9AE58B80

Signs point to early Turkish elections

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may exploit a fractured opposition and a popular military campaign to bring forward presidential and parliament elections, cementing the new powers he won in last year’s referendum.

Satan's eating habits latest topic of Turkish public debate

Turkey’s president allows criticism of the country’s religious authority as long as it serves his purpose.

Turkish women from different cities join a demonstration against the adultery ban in Ankara, September 14, 2004. The Turkish parliament meets in an extraordinary session on Tuesday to push through a massive series of amendments to the country's penal code. Most of the 348 articles of the penal code are to be changed under the draft legislation tabled by the ruling Justice and Development Party, including the amendment that is making adultery a criminal offence. REUTERS/Umit Bektas UB/GB - RP5DRIAIJWAA

Turkey wants to criminalize adultery

Upon instructions from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Justice Ministry is working on new legislation outlawing adultery.

Turkey props up industrial zone in Syria's al-Bab

Turkey is helping set up a commercial hub in northern Syria to boost economic development in areas liberated from the Islamic State.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil meets with Acting Assistant U.S. Secretary of State David Satterfield and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard in Beirut, Lebanon February 21, 2018. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RC1C36783760

Satterfield’s shuttle diplomacy may offer diplomatic opening for Syria

Is there more to the talks about Block 9? Success of UN Security Council cease-fire depends on definition of "terrorist."

After big boom, Turkey’s aviation sector heads for turbulence

Led by national carrier Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s civil aviation sector has grown impressively since 2003, but its heyday may be over due to the strain of economic and political factors.

Could little-known Turkish party offer Islamist alternative to Erdogan's AKP?

Turkey’s Islamist Saadet, or Felicity Party, has flown largely under the radar, but its new moderate line may build a force to be reckoned with in 2019.