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

Turkey

Turkey

September 15, 2026

Ankara 7:18 pm

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

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish HDP names jailed leader as presidential candidate

Turkey’s top Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas, the only person who could deprive President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of his ambition, is officially joining the presidential race from his prison cell.

Turkey gears up military might to host live-fire war games

The Ephesus joint combined military exercise — the Turkish military’s most prominent annual display — will reveal much about the operational effectiveness of the country's armed forces in the aftermath of the July 2016 coup attempt.

Culture Alert: Fairs and fears of the future

The Middle East culture scene in May includes street festivals, book fairs and visions of a dystopian future.

Turkey’s lira tumbles as inflation nears record high

Investors are dumping the Turkish currency amid worries that a pre-election spending spree and pressure on the Central Bank to keep interest rates low could see the lira continue to spiral.

A man sits in front of poster flags of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, near spice bazaar at Eminonu district on April 19, 2018 in Istanbul. - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 18, 2018 called snap elections in Turkey for June 24, bringing the polls forward by over a year-and-a-half after a call from his main nationalist ally. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey's ruling party offers big payouts ahead of critical vote

Despite its deepening financial woes, Turkey’s government has rolled out an unprecedented $6 billion package to court favor with voters ahead of the June 24 polls.

Presidents Hassan Rouhani of Iran, Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Vladimir Putin of Russia hold a joint news conference after their meeting in Ankara, Turkey April 4, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC17DDDED670

Iran, Turkey and Russia hope they’re all on same page

The three guarantors of the Astana peace talks seek to affirm the stability of the talks as well as the trio itself.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), meets with Iyi Party leader Meral Aksener in Ankara, Turkey April 25, 2018. Adem Altan/Pool via Reuters - RC15F0D58B90

Turkish opposition joins forces for parliament vote

Four of Turkey's opposition parties, including the largest, are forming an alliance to challenge the ruling party for parliamentary seats.

Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul is seen with Saadet Party leader Temel Karamollaoglu during a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey April 24, 2018. Picture taken April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir - RC1A875ACB30

3 reasons Turkey's ex-president never had chance at re-election

The opposition to former President Abdullah Gul’s candidacy shows a despairing, fractured opposition ahead of Turkey's snap elections.

A money changer counts Turkish lira bills at an currency exchange office in central Istanbul, Turkey, August 21, 2015. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo - S1BETTHGKMAB

How Turkey's 'doping-induced' growth backfired into hasty elections

The Turkish government’s rush to hold elections in June is driven by economic woes that even its attempts at "doping-induced" growth have failed to overcome.

Turks mark May Day far from traditional rallying site

The Turkish authorities have arrested dozens of protesters for violating a ban on May 1 demonstrations at Istanbul’s Taksim Square.

(From L) Turkey's Foreign Affairs minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sit at the opening of a Foreign ministers meeting at the Nato headquarters in Brussels on April 27 2018. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Pompeo's meeting with Turkish FM fails to calm tensions

Mike Pompeo's first meeting as secretary of state with his Turkish counterpart failed to bring a breakthrough in Ankara-Washington ties, as the Syrian city of Manbij remains a potential flashpoint in relations between Turkey and the United States.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (2nd R), Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R), former President Abdullah Gul (4th R) and Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar (2nd L) attend the funeral of Fehmi Sahin and Ali Koc, two of the 14 police officers who were killed during Tuesday's bombing in Igdir province in eastern Turkey, at Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara, Turkey, September 9, 2015. Daily clashes between Kurdish militants and security forces in southeast Turkey have cast doubt on whether a credible election can be he

Did Erdogan's men ask ex-president not to run?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his top brass have not denied reports that he sent his spokesman and the chief of general staff to talk former President Abdullah Gul out of running in the upcoming presidential race.