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

Turkey

Turkey

May 8, 2026

Ankara 2:24 am

9°C

People look at a drone on display at the Baykar exhibit at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey, Japan launch defense industry partnership with eye on drones

The initiative could eventually lead to joint UAV development and production as Japan looks to expand drone capabilities amid regional tensions.

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.

Latest News

Turkey, Armenia agree to restore medieval bridge in normalization push

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

Sabah Fidan

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

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

Head of the Kurdistan Regional Security Council Masrour Barzani speaks during an electoral rally for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) list, in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, on April 26, 2018.

Scoop: Iraqi Kurdistan prime minister to travel to Turkey

People break their fast on May 16, 2018, near Taksim Square in Istanbul.

Ramadan becomes political battleground in Turkey

Lavish Ramadan gatherings by Turkey's ruling party have fueled public outrage amid staggering inflation and skyrocketing prices.

We Will Stop Femicides Turkey

Rights group spotlighting murder of women in Turkey faces legal threat

A lawsuit threatens to silence Turkey's main voice on violence against women, the We Will Stop Femicides Platform.

Workers collect onions during the harvest on a farm, in the Polatli district of Ankara on Aug. 6, 2019.

Turkey’s farmers call for urgent support as food alarm grows

Turkey’s agricultural producers are grappling with exorbitant cost increases that threaten further blows to the country’s food production amid an already galloping inflation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (r) welcomes Israel's President Isaac Herzog (L).

Turkey continues regional initiative with meetings with Israel, Egypt

Turkey’s foreign minister says he will gather with his Egyptian and Israeli counterparts, possibly with Defense Minister Hulusi Akar accompanying him to Israel.

Turkey student

Turkey’s top court rules compulsory religion courses violate rights

Turkey’s top court ruled that forcing compulsory religious education on minors against their parents’ will violates their rights, but will the government heed it?

Tunisian President Kais Saied (R) arrives with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan plays to base with criticism of Tunisia

By slamming the dissolution of Tunisia’s parliament, Erdogan may have emboldened his ideological allies from the Ennahda party, but his criticism might backfire to further isolate political Islam.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses media representatives during a press conference at an European Union (EU) summit at EU Headquarters in Brussels on March 24, 2022.

Erdogan's Saudi visit to mark vital step in Turkey's regional realignment

The Turkish president is expected to travel to the kingdom during Ramadan following the end of the Khashoggi case in Turkey.

A woman casts her vote at a polling station during the mayoral elections rerun, Istanbul, Turkey, June 23, 2019.

Turkish opposition stumbles on united platform

Turkey’s opposition parties have so far been unable to gain traction among large segments of the Turkish public ahead of the 2023 elections.

A gas flare burns in a field close to the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, 225 kms from Baghdad on Nov. 2, 2009.

Will renewed interest in Iraqi Kurdish gas fuel Turkey-Iran rivalry?

Western capitals are seeking alternative natural gas resources to reduce their dependence on Russia, which creates a possible opportunity for Iraqi Kurdish gas exports.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the press after meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for discussions on Syria and migration, Budapest, Hungary, Nov. 7, 2019.

Can Erdogan coax Assad into dialogue?

Hopeful that the Ukraine war will tip the scales to its favor in Syria, Turkey is taking escalatory steps on the ground on one hand and testing the diplomatic waters with Damascus on the other.

The Marshall Islands-flagged Turkish-owned Yasa Jupiter ship, which was hit by a missile off the coast of Ukraine's port city Odessa, sails on the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, on Feb. 25, 2022.

Drifting sea mines bring Ukraine war to Turkey’s Bosporus Strait

At least three mines thought to have crossed the Black Sea have been spotted around the north mouth of one of the world’s busiest maritime channels.