Turkey - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

November 7, 2026

Ankara 3:48 am

5°C

Costa Rica's Grynspan extends lead in UNSG poll as Nusseibeh places fourth

The Costa Rican candidate received 12 encourage votes in Thursday's UN Security Council straw poll.

United Arab Emirates

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia

Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP via Getty Images

Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift?

A dispute over religious dress in schools has exposed deeper tensions between the two allies, with energy, arms sales, Israel and financial interests adding to the strain.

Latest News

Turkey says soldier killed by gunfire from Iran at border: What to know

A sign marking the border of Turkey in Van, Turkey, on March 14, 2026.

Turkey probes Google’s AI search tools, orders protections for news websites

Turkey moves PKK leader Ocalan to prison villa as peace process faces new test

A protestor holds a flag bearing a portrait of jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan during a demonstration of Kurdish people from all around Europe to mark the 27th anniversary of his arrest and to demand his liberation, in Strasbourg, Eastern France, on Feb. 14, 2026.

Explainer

Who is Feridun Sinirlioglu, Turkey’s candidate for UN chief?

OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu is pictured during a joint press conference with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Switzerland's Foreign Minister at Vienna International Airport on Feb. 6, 2026 in Schwechat, Lower Austria.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Turkey’s parliament to resume debate on Sweden’s NATO bid

Shortly after the parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee set a date for its new meeting, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced that Turkey and the United States held high-level talks on defense cooperation.

Can Turkey's Erdogan help push for Palestinian Hamas-Fatah reconciliation?

Turkey is pursuing an initiative to gather senior members of Fatah and Hamas at a conference.

Turkey’s Central Bank delivers moderate rate hike

The bank said it has slowed the pace of monetary tightening, assessing that it is close to the level required to establish a course of disinflation.

Assyrian Christians from Iraq, Syria and Lebanon attend a Christmas mass at Saint Georges church in an eastern Beirut suburb on Dec. 25, 2014.

Assyrian Christmas message raises tensions in Turkey’s parliament

The tensions are a snippet of the larger conflict regarding citizens’ rights to speak their mother tongues in the public and official sphere in multiethnic Turkey.

Turkey's Erdogan wants 'simultaneous' progress on F-16s, Sweden’s NATO bid

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will handle the two processes simultaneously.

Blinken pressures Turkey over Sweden’s NATO bid

The conversation between the top US and Turkish diplomats followed a rare phone call between the Turkish and US presidents as Washington increases pressure on Ankara to ratify Sweden's NATO bid.

TOPSHOT - German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (R) gestures after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a guest book during his visit at Bellevue presidential palace in Berlin on November 17, 2023. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)

In balancing Turkey's interests, Erdogan walks tightrope between West, Hamas

Despite his high-pitched criticism of Israel, Erdogan is expected to tread cautiously on ties with Hamas, unwilling to add further strain on Turkey’s relations with the West and jeopardize trade with Israel.

Can 'night of shame' turn a page in Turkey's violent soccer culture?

The punch delivered by a former ally of Erdogan to an elite referee opens Pandora’s box on violence in sports, but despite condemnations, few expect lasting change.

A picture taken on November 23, 2016 shows smoke plumes rising behind a billboard at the Maaden Aluminium Factory in Ras Al-Khair Industrial area near Jubail City, 570 kms east of the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Middle East transparency on carbon emissions lags behind rest of world

Turkey and the UAE led the pack for most transparent countries in the region regarding greenhouse gas emissions.

United Arab Emirates

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and US President Joe Biden.

Erdogan says US has ‘historic responsibility’ to ensure Gaza cease-fire in call with Biden

The phone call comes amid increasingly frayed ties between Ankara and Washington.

Saadet (Felicity) Party deputy Hasan Bitmez delivers a speech shortly before collapsing at the podium in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Ankara, Dec. 12, 2023.

Turkey: Lawmaker dies after heart attack in parliament

The lawmaker’s cardiac arrest followed a speech critical of Turkish-Israeli relations and provoked strong reactions on the Turkish Twittersphere.

Turkey to resume soccer league games as battered referee leaves hospital

Turkey’s soccer federation announced it will resume games after suspending them over an attack on a referee.