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

Turkey

Turkey

September 15, 2026

Ankara 12:05 pm

22°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

Turkey's Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci speaks during an interview with Reuters in Ankara, Turkey, June 7, 2016. To match Interview TURKEY-ECONOMY/MINISTER REUTERS/Umit Bektas - D1AETIRNZCAB

Ankara vows to ignore Iran sanctions

Turkey and the United States are entering a new stage of strained relations as newly re-elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, flush with power, disregards renewed sanctions on Iran.

Muharrem Ince, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), addresses his supporters during an election rally in Istanbul, Turkey June 23, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC1C225D63F0

Turkish opposition fails miserably in critical election test

Turkey’s June 24 elections will likely have significant and lasting effects on the future of the opposition.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin meets at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - UP1EE431A7CYB

Russia welcomes Erdogan’s re-election

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's re-election was seen in Russia as a sign that Ankara would maintain its current policies in Syria and perhaps diverge further from Washington.

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu attends a news conference in Ankara, Turkey June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1879C94940

Turkish opposition's unity crumbles as electoral slogans fade

With the elections over, Turkey’s opposition factions are back to fighting among themselves, this time for the leadership of the Republican People’s Party, as calls come in for Kemal Kilicdaroglu to resign.

A picture taken on March 20, 2018 shows a view of the dried-up shore of an irrigation canal near the village of Sayyed Dakhil, to the east of Nasariyah city some 300 kilometres (180 miles) south of Baghdad. - Farmers in Sayyed Dakhil have traditionally lived off their land where there used to be no need for wells, but a creeping drought is now threatening agriculture and livelihoods in the area.
Weather patterns are largely to blame for the crisis, but while rain accounts for 30 percent of Iraq's water reso

Turkey, Iraq trade blame as concern rises over low water

Iraq points to Turkey's Ilisu Dam as the cause of its water crisis, but Ankara says Baghdad needs to manage its resources more efficiently.

Istanbul exhibit casts light on Ottoman photography

An Istanbul exhibit looks at the photographic albums that Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid sent to German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in an effort to entice Germany to invest in Anatolian railways.

People walk past a poster for Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, Turkey, June 25, 2018. The poster reads: "Our people won, Turkey won, Thank you istanbul". REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC19D0C486D0

What’s next for Turkey following Erdogan’s election win?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has officially won re-election, though his ruling party missed a parliamentary majority by a hair.

A supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan holds his picture in front of a Turkish flag, in front of Turkey's ruling AK Party (AKP) headquarters in Istanbul,Turkey, June 24, 2018. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1D72DCC500

Erdogan still faces uphill battle despite electoral victory

Turkey’s turn toward a blend of political Islam and ultra-nationalism is unlikely to help improve ties with the West.

Transparency-hungry Turkey eyes blockchain

The Turkish Informatics Foundation has launched a platform to promote and support the development of blockchain technologies for use in everything from banking and law to public opinion polls and elections.

Vehicles of the US-led coalition battling the Islamic State group patrol the town of Rmelane in Syria's Hasakeh province on June 5, 2018. - The leading Syrian Kurdish militia said it would withdraw from Manbij, easing fears of a direct clash between NATO allies Washington and Ankara over the strategic northern town. Manbij is a Sunni Arab-majority town that lies just 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of the Turkish border, and where US and French troops belonging to the Western coalition against IS are station

Syrian opposition has high hopes for US-Turkish road map for Manbij

The US-Turkish road map for Manbij has entered the second of three phases, leading some to believe it might spare the area further bloodshed.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan waves to supporters as he leaves his residence in Istanbul, Turkey June 24, 2018. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1813562760

Erdogan declares victory in historic Turkish vote

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a strong mandate with more than 53% of the vote in an election that cements his legacy as Turkey’s most powerful leader in decades. But his main rival has refused to concede, saying it was too early to say Erdogan had won outright.

A tank belonging to Turkish soldiers and Ankara-backed Syrian Arab fighters is seen in the Kurdish-majority city of Afrin in northwestern Syria after they took control of it from Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) on March 18, 2018.
Turkish-backed rebels have seized the centre of Afrin city in northern Syria, Ankara said, as they made rapid gains in their campaign against Kurdish forces. A civilian inside Afrin said that rebels had deployed in the city centre and that the Kurdish People's Protection Un

Turkey’s Kurdish policies provoke backlash everywhere

The US-Turkish deal on Manbij sparks a Damascus opening to Syrian Kurds; Iran scolds Turkey on PKK operations in Syria; the HDP faces violence and an “uneven” playing field in elections; Iran is caught in the middle between Russia and Saudi Arabia.