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

Turkey

Turkey

May 7, 2026

Ankara 2:27 pm

19°C

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Ankara comes amid rapidly expanding Turkish-Saudi coordination as the fallout from the Iran war reshapes Gulf security dynamics.

A picture taken near Kars on Feb. 28, 2024 shows the ruins of a bridge over Arpacay river, the natural border between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkey, Armenia agree to restore medieval bridge in normalization push

Ankara is pursuing normalization with Armenia ahead of June parliamentary elections in a thaw also positioned to advance its broader Middle Corridor ambitions.

Sabah Fidan

Turkey hosts Kuwaiti FM as UAE's OAPEC exit fuels Gulf rift

Kuwait's top diplomat visited Turkey as the Gulf rift deepens following the UAE’s exit from OPEC and its affiliated alliances, forcing Ankara to balance ties between Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

Latest News

Analysis

Iraq’s Zaidi offers economic promise for Turkey but unknowns loom

Zaidi

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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.

Turkey advances gas pipeline plan to northern Cyprus as East Med rivalry grows

This aerial photograph shows Turkey's first floating natural gas production platform, "Osman Gazi," passing through the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, on May 29, 2025.

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

Syria Turkey

Syrians adapt to tumultuous Turkish environment

In the decade-old Turkish diaspora, thousands of Syrians have started businesses that fill niches in Turkey and open up new export markets — but economic and political challenges are rising.

Obsolete Turkish lira banknotes are seen in the window of an exchange office on May 05, 2022, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey’s runaway inflation soars to near 79%

The Turkish government’s continued failure to stabilize the battered lira raises the prospect of inflation topping 100% in the fall.

Turkey opposition

Turkish opposition seeks to challenge Erdogan at his own game

Turkey’s opposition, which has long failed to put up a coherent attitude to the government’s foreign policy, is now turning to a hawkish rhetoric that Erdogan himself might envy.

Erdogan Nato

Not so fast: Erdogan still holds cards on NATO bids by Sweden, Finland

If conditions are not met, Turkey's president says it is "out of the question" that the Turkish parliament will take up Sweden and Finland's NATO membership issue; avoiding a further US-Turkish meltdown; is Syria invasion on hold?

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Many Swedes unsettled by NATO deal with Turkey

The Swedish government has come under fire for its concessions to Turkey in return for Ankara’s support for Sweden’s NATO membership, and the angst among Swedes of Kurdish origin is palpable.

Abdulmecid Efendi's (1868-1944) "The Russo-Turkish War."

Culture

Turkish exhibit reveals ‘extraordinary world’ of Ottoman Empire's last caliph

A retrospective of the artwork of Abdulmecid II, Islam’s last caliph, illustrates the dynasty’s fusion of East and West.

Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson (L) shakes hands with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan says Sweden's, Finland's NATO memberships not done deal

The Turkish president says that while the two countries are invited to join NATO, the possibility of a veto remains if they don't keep their promises.

Turkish Presidential Press Office/Getty Images

Prominent sheikh’s funeral exposes Turkey’s secular-religious divide

The funeral of a prominent religious leader has showcased the growing influence of religious groups in Turkey.

NATO

Analysis

The Takeaway: Turkey still has final say on Sweden, Finland NATO bids

Israel awaits Biden message on Iran; Egypt gains Saudi and Arab League support on Nile Dam dispute; Egypt’s chicken showdown; Hamas seizes Israeli surveillance balloon.

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn

A couple holds hands for a wedding photo as they look at smoke rising over the district of Sur in Diyarbakir.

No respite for Kurds as Turkey's security forces ramp up repression

Musicians, newlyweds, journalists, and even restaurateurs are not immune to the Turkish government's repression of its Kurdish population.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L), NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (C) and Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.

Deal with Sweden, Finland over NATO membership sees Turkey’s Erdogan hailed at home

Pro-government voices see agreement as Nordic countries bowing to Turkish demands, but opponents remain critical.

Sweden Finland

Turkey lifts objection to Sweden, Finland joining NATO at last minute

Following the signing of a memorandum between Turkey, Sweden, and Finland, Erdogan lifted his veto against the Nordic expansion of NATO hours before the Madrid summit started.