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

Turkey

Turkey

May 9, 2026

Ankara 10:24 pm

15°C

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

A Mother’s Day advertisement featuring a “dog mom” triggered a backlash from conservative media, government officials and regulators, turning a soft consumer campaign into a flashpoint over motherhood, declining birth rates, stray dogs and even antisemitism.

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.

Latest News

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

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

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.

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

A Liberian-flagged cargo vessel is tugged by a coastal safety boat after it ran ashore in the Bosporus, Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 27, 2019.

Ankara in risky geopolitical gamble in Black Sea

Fiddling with the delicate balance of power in the Black Sea might leave Turkey in a worse squeeze between Russia and the United States.

Anti-Turkish protest in Basra

US, Turkish forces in Iraq targeted in separate attacks

A Turkish soldier was killed northeast of Mosul shortly after NATO and US officials announced they will withdraw from Afghanistan this year.

A man wearing a protective face mask and gloves and working behind a plastic shield waits to serve customers on a busy market street on April 09, 2021, in Istanbul, Turkey. The country announced more than 55,000 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, a new daily record since the start of the pandemic. Fears are growing that coronavirus cases will continue to rise as the country prepares to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan starting on April 13.

Turkey tightens COVID-19 restrictions as Ramadan holy month begins

Responding to a surge in new cases, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced tighter COVID-19 restrictions for the first two weeks of Ramadan, saying measures could be extended if current trends continue.

Smoke from a presumed drone or artillery strike on Oct. 3, 2020, in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh.

Canada cancels permits for drone technology sales to Turkey

Ottawa previously suspended the exports after Canadian components were used in the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

US Vice President Kamala Harris meets virtually with the founding members of the Covid-19 Community Corps in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 1, 2021.

Kurdish magnate claims he’s buying Kamala Harris’ DC condo in 'important move' for Turkey

Muhsin Bayrak told Turkish media he has nearly finalized the purchase.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) and EU Council President Charles Michel (R) arrive for a joint news conference after talks with Turkey's president in Ankara on April 6, 2021.

EU-Turkey partnership: Anything but honest

The latest visit by top European Union officials to Ankara has shown that the European Union has effectively turned its back to its avowed core principles and values vis-a-vis Erdogan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, review an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony prior to their talks in Kyiv on Feb. 3, 2020.

Turkey, US in rare position of unity over Ukraine

Russia’s Turkey policy to "drive a wedge between Turkey and its NATO allies" will not likely bear fruit when it comes to Ukraine.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (back-L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (back-R) attend a signing ceremony ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on May 13, 2017.

China looms large in Turkey’s controversial waterway project

Turkey is reportedly gearing up to partner with China in the construction of an artificial waterway parallel to the Bosporus, a project with likely implications for Russia and the United States in the Black Sea.

Erdogan

Crackdown on dissent highlights Turkey's drift from democracy

A recent decision to nullify a parliamentary vote and ongoing targeting of opposition lawmakers are further evidence of Turkey’s slide away from a democratic system.

women wave hdp flags at newroz

Will Turkey’s third largest party survive closure case?

The fate of Turkey’s main Kurdish political movement remains in limbo even though the Constitutional Court last week rejected an indictment seeking the closure of the party.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech following an evaluation meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on April 5, 2021. Erdogan accused dozens of retired admirals of eyeing a "political coup" by attacking his plans for a canal linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. His fury was directed at a letter published by 104 former admirals over the weekend urging him to abide by the terms of the 1936 Montreux Convention.

Who benefits if Erdogan scraps key maritime treaty?

A warning by more than 100 retired Turkish admirals against scrapping an 85-year-old maritime treaty restricting foreign military presence in the Black Sea coincides with rising tensions between Russia and Western-backed Ukraine in the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech following an evaluation meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on April 5, 2021.

Turkey’s talk of pulling out of the Montreux Convention part diversion, part 'Ataturk envy'

It's unclear if talk of Turkey pulling out the 1936 maritime treaty will be followed by any action, but the discussion should not be taken lightly.