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

Turkey

Turkey

September 14, 2026

Ankara 11:33 am

23°C

People swim next to the Russian-flagged cargo ship OMSKIY-107, which was attacked off the Black Sea coast and eventually ran aground off the shore of the Sile district, Istanbul, Sept. 3, 2026.

Why Turkey has few options to protect Black Sea shipping

The Russia-Ukraine drone war is hitting Turkish commercial interests, exposing the limits of Ankara’s ability to protect shipping while remaining outside the conflict.

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities gather during a rally to recruit more fighters in Sanaa on Sept. 10, 2026.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia's Houthi crisis tests alliances with Trump, Turkey and Pakistan

As the Houthis tighten their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb, Saudi Arabia is turning to new regional alliances while Washington resists calls to intervene.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Turkey’s defense giants court Egypt at Alamein Airshow: What to know

El Alamein International Airshow

Russia to give Turkey preferential fertilizer access amid Hormuz supply crunch

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)

Culture

Turkish ceramicist Leyla Borovali shapes Aegean heritage into clay

Leyla Borovali at her studio overlooking the Aegean

Analysis

With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones

TAI Hurjet

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

A border tower is seen at the Armenian side of Armenian-Turkish border in the village of Getap, some 85 km (53 miles) north-west of the capital Yerevan, November 1, 2009. The historic prospect of peace with longtime foe Turkey has roused angry opposition among powerful Armenian nationalists, which could yet undermine President Serzh Sarksyan and torpedo the whole process. Picture taken November 1, 2009. To match analysis ARMENIA-TURKEY/DIVISION REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili (ARMENIA POLITICS CONFLICT) - G

Intel: Why Armenia wants to make peace with Turkey

Police chief's murder stuns Turkey

A distinguished police chief from Rize was gunned down by a disgruntled officer, while Turkish media focused today on the possibility that the country's two main opposition parties may get behind a unified candidate for Ankara's mayoral elections in March.

Kurdish demonstrators hold flags during a protest demanding the release of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed - RC1EA9AA5C90

Iraqi Kurdistan bans pro-PKK party amid Turkish pressure

Turkey exerted its political and economic pressure on Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government to close the headquarters of political parties that share the ideology of the Kurdistan Workers Party.

Turkish, Israeli chefs bring Ottoman-inspired cuisine to downtown Haifa

Dozens of Arab and Jewish chefs took part in A-Sham Arab Food Festival in Haifa this year, to prepare Turkish and Ottoman-inspired dishes at tens of restaurants in the city.

Visitors take pictures of the missing pieces of the historic "Gypsy Girl" mosaic on display in an exhibition at their origin in Gaziantep, Turkey, December 8, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1B70413E10

Roman-era mosaics home at last in Turkey's Zeugma

Turkey has welcomed back 12 fragments of mosaics illegally excavated and exported decades ago to the United States and they are now on exhibit at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep.

A Turkish army howitzer fires from a military post on the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province, Turkey February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1DA3686FA0

US erects observation posts to avert war between Turks, Syrian Kurds

The move highlights the complexity Washington faces in its efforts to maintain a military presence in Syria while appeasing fellow NATO ally Turkey.

A protester holds a banner reading "we are alevi" as he and many others wait to hear the decision of the court in front of a courthouse in Ankara March 13, 2012. Turkish police fired tear-gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds protesting on Tuesday against the dropping of a case against five people charged with killing 37 writers and liberals in a 1993 hotel fire set off by Islamist rioters.The opposition accused Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his AK Party, which emerged from a series of banned Islami

Turkish court recognizes Alevi houses of worship

Turkey’s Alevi community awaits the government’s response to a landmark court ruling recognizing their houses of worship.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro attend a news conference after an agreement-signing ceremony between Turkey and Venezuela at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero - RC149F4F7600

Erdogan expands gold business partnership with Venezuela despite sanctions

Despite US sanctions against the South American country, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are expanding their gold business.

China's President Xi Jinping and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China September 4, 2016. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj - S1AETZIDWTAB

Will China buy Turkey on the cheap?

Some argue China may “swallow” Turkey through acquisitions, given China’s growing interest in the region and Turkey’s economic crisis, which has cheapened its assets and left it in dire need of external funds. But the realities on the ground speak otherwise.

UNESCO registers Aragoz as Egypt's intangible cultural heritage

Called Aragoz, Karagoz or Karagiozis, the puppet with the red cap and acid tongue has satirized politics and social life for centuries. UNESCO has registered the puppet play as Egypt’s historical heritage.

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) speaks to the media after a closed briefing for senators about the latest developments related to the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 28, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC1218182BD0

Senate puzzles out how to punish Saudi Arabia ahead of unprecedented vote

An overwhelming majority of senators want to punish Riyadh for murdering Jamal Khashoggi and because of the Yemen war. The question is how.

Members of the delegations attend a session of Syria peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan November 29, 2018. REUTERS/Mukhtar Kholdorbekov - RC13C7234CC0

US Syria envoy heads to Turkey after criticizing peace initiative

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu dismissed a call by President Donald Trump’s representative to “pull the plug” on negotiations with Russia and Iran, arguing it’s Syria’s best shot at a political resolution.