NATO

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.

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.

Tom Barrack testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 01, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Tom Barrack addresses criticism over his remarks on Hezbollah, Turkey: What to know

Tom Barrack, a senior figure within the Trump administration, was recently criticized by a member of the House for some of his past statements on Hezbollah.

Latest News

Explainer

Turkey warns Greece, Cyprus not to engage in arms race: What to know

ETIENNE TORBEY/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s NATO pipeline bid fuels rivalry with Greece: What to know

OLE BERG-RUSTEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Turkey looks to NATO summit for breakthrough on US F-35s acquisition

F-35s over Greenland

Ezgi Akin

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

Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know

Members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), from the British Army's 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, No. 2 Company, patrol along the buffer zone separating the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the divided capital Nicosia on Feb. 17, 2026.

US President Joe Biden (R) holds a bilateral meeting with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, Oct. 30, 2024.

Turkey deems 'unacceptable' any Greek Cyprus NATO membership attempt

The Turkish statement came as the president of Cyprus suggested that his country could eventually become a NATO member.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey scales back $23 billion F-16 deal with US

Turkey scrapped plans to acquire F-16 modernization kits for domestic industry to take over, the Turkish defense minister said.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte speaks at the press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not seen) at the Chancellery, Berlin, Germany, Nov. 4, 2024.

NATO chief in Turkey as Russia-Ukraine war escalates

The NATO chief pays his inaugural visit to Turkey following the Turkish president's criticism of the Biden administration over its authorization of the use of longer-range missiles.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) poses beside Khalid Mashaal (C), the Hamas chief in exile, and Gaza's prime minister Ismail Haniyeh prior to their meeting in Ankara on June 18, 2013. Senior leaders of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas met today in Ankara with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan to discuss Erdogan's planned visit to the Gaza Strip as well as the situation in Syria, the source said on condition of anonymity. AFP PHOTO/ PRIME MINISTER PRESS OFFICE/ YASIN BULBUL == RESTRICTED T

Analysis

Will Turkey host Hamas leaders after consequential Qatar departure?

Pro-Muslim Brotherhood groups and leaders in Turkey enjoyed few restrictions on their activities in the past but are now seeing their activities curtailed.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands in front of a Eurofighter Tycoon combat aircraft as he speaks during a visit to the Bavarian plant of European aircraft maker Airbus in Manching, southern Germany, January 19, 2024.

Analysis

Can Turkey-Germany summit produce breakthrough on Eurofighter sale?

Eurofighters for Turkey are expected to top Olaf Scholz's meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. A senior Turkish defense industry official told Al-Monitor that local production of some of the parts might be an option.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Lieutenant General Lucas Schreurs of the Netherlands assumes command of the NATO Mission to Iraq (NMI) in Baghdad, May 24, 2024.

Interview

NATO deepens engagement with Iraq as US prepares to withdraw

In an exclusive Al-Monitor interview, Lucas Schreurs, commander of NATO Mission Iraq, explains the scope of his outfit's mandate.

Commander of NATO Mission Iraq

Commander of NATO Mission Iraq

Lucas Schreurs

A Romanian Navy helicopter is pictured on the "King Ferdinand" frigate during "Sea Shield 24" exercise April 16, 2024.

Turkey sits out NATO drill in Greece despite detente with Athens

The decision stemmed from historical territorial disputes between the two NATO allies.

The first delivered batch of F-35 fighter jets flies over the Skrydstrup Air Base, Denmark, Sep. 14, 2023.

Analysis

US revival of Turkey’s F-35 deal complicated by Russia, political climate

A potential F-35-for-S-400 deal doesn't seem feasible from a technical as well as political standpoint, Turkish experts believe.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A Hellenic air force helicopter flies during the Olympic Cooperation 23 exercise at the Petrochori training area, near Xanthi, northern Greece, on Nov. 24, 2023.

Analysis

Following defense deal, can Turkey, US split difference over Cyprus, East Med?

The new defense cooperation agreement between the United States and Cyprus has displeased Turkey.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkish soldiers patrol the northern Syrian town of Tal Abyad on the border between Syria and Turkey on Oct. 23, 2019.

Norway lifts arms embargo on Turkey, paving way for boost in defense exports

According to the Norwegian government, defense exports from Oslo to Ankara stood at nearly $4 million in 2018 but dropped roughly to $1 million in 2020 due to the restrictions.

AFP via Getty Images

Libya's Sarir oil field latest to shut down amid central bank standoff

The Sarir oil field has halted almost all production of around 209,000 barrels per day, engineers said.