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

Turkey

Turkey

September 9, 2026

Ankara 12:18 am

14°C

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek on September 1, 2026. (Photo by Kristina Solovyova / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Russia to give Turkey preferential fertilizer access amid Hormuz supply crunch

Ankara is expected to secure easier access to Russian fertilizer exports as the Iran war disrupts supplies from key Gulf producers.

Leyla Borovali at her studio overlooking the Aegean

Culture

Turkish ceramicist Leyla Borovali shapes Aegean heritage into clay

Named by AD Middle East as one of 11 artists from Turkey to know, Leyla Borovali belongs to a new generation building on a ceramic tradition shaped by figures from Fureya Koral and Alev Ebuzziya Siesbye to Elif Uras.

TAI Hurjet

Analysis

With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones

With export revenue from the supersonic crewed aircraft, Ankara plans to fund next-generation projects and gain strategic diplomatic and military leverage across NATO and the region.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Ibrahim Kalin, Turkish presidential spokesperson, gives a press conference at the Presidential Complex, Ankara, May 25, 2022.

Turkey and Greece's intelligence chiefs hold rare talks: What to know

The meeting comes after Turkey recently warned Greece over what it called an arms race in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Latest News

US sanctions Turkey-based bank over Iran ties

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Israel, Greece sign $3.5 billion air-defense deal: What to know

Mecca Alliance

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan set Mecca Alliance into motion

Mecca Alliance

Analysis

Why Turkey welcomes Israel-Syria talks despite mounting red lines

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrive for a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Feb. 4, 2025.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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, Qatar, UAE among donors of virus-related aid to sub-Saharan Africa

The Center for Strategic and International Studies listed the countries as among 12 that have given medical aid directly to African states.

Turkey bombs PKK targets in northern Iraq as government's ratings sag

The early morning strikes comes as the Turkish opposition launched a march for justice and democracy today.

Why is Ankara pouring Turkish liras into Syria?

Taking advantage of Syria’s currency havoc, Ankara has funneled Turkish liras into “liberated” areas in northern Syria, but any plan to fully sideline the Syrian pound in those areas appears unrealistic.

Ankara spouts fury as Twitter takes down pro-Erdogan trolls

Twitter said the suspensions were part of a broader operation in which it had removed and suspended accounts linked to state-run propaganda and disinformation centers in China, Russia and Turkey.

Turkey’s economic turmoil imposing early polls on Erdogan

Grappling with economic strains that might grow worse down the road, Turkey’s president faces an early election conundrum.

A member of security forces loyal to Libya's internationally recognised government holds his weapon during a security deployment in Tarhouna city, Libya June 11, 2020. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny - RC247H9IT468

Erdogan aims for 'new era' in US-Turkey ties, with Libya top of agenda

Mideast economic forecast is "heavily tilted to the downside," said a World Bank report.

Turkey hinders Egyptian peace efforts in Libya

Cairo proposed a political initiative to resolve the Libyan crisis calling for a cease-fire between the conflicting parties, but the Government of National Accord, backed by Turkey, rejected it.

US response muted as Turkey gives consulate employee harsh prison sentence

A Turkish staff member of the US Consulate in Istanbul has been handed nearly nine years in prison in what some analysts suggest is a sign that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "new era" in US-Turkish relations will be one of increasing US leniency.

Turkey’s news channels can’t breathe

Journalism in Turkey is choking under a censorship mechanism in which newsroom managers, leaders often act as “government commissars.”

U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan pose for a family photo during the annual NATO heads of government summit at the Grove Hotel in Watford, Britain December 4, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/Pool - RC2COD9N7WI1

Erdogan banks on Trump’s friendship to deal with Libya

Turkey needs the support of the United States more than it did months ago to implement its regional agenda in Libya and beyond.

Turkish army tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APC) are seen near the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province, Turkey January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1FA0C88540

US watchdog group: Turkey’s actions in Syria endanger religious diversity

The partial withdrawal of US troops from northeast Syria in October created a vacuum for religious repression, a bipartisan US agency says.

RTS3B09X(1).jpg

Turkish Foreign Ministry rejects Libya cease-fire

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu dismissed an Egypt-brokered cease-fire in Libya, as Tripoli forces pursue an offensive on Sirte after a string of victories.