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Turkey

Turkey

September 16, 2026

Ankara 7:05 am

16°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 continues hostilities in Afrin despite UN cease-fire

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to stay and slay a "dragon" in his military’s month long-campaign against a Kurdish militia in Syria, dismissing assertions from Western allies that the Security Council resolution is intended for the entire war-battered country.

Turkey’s sugar privatization faces bitter opposition

The Turkish government’s plan to privatize 14 sugar plants has sparked nationwide protests, irking not only factory workers and local communities but also Turkish consumers in general.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrive to a meeting in Ankara, Turkey, February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Cem Ozdel/Pool - RC1EECDD07D0

Congress, State Department divided on sanctions against Turkey

While Congress has bipartisan support for sanctions against Turkey, the State Department is pushing back, demanding that newly established consultative mechanisms to normalize relations between the NATO allies be given time.

Czechs release Syrian Kurdish leader, won't extradite to Turkey

Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim has been released from detention in Prague, leaving Turkey fuming.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shows the way to his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Pavel Golovkin/Pool - RC1A9217F4F0

Russia's call for dialogue with Assad irritates Ankara

Pro-government Turkish analysts say Moscow’s call for dialogue between Ankara and Damascus over Afrin is an effort to sideline Turkish aims in Syria.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan chats with Jordan's King Abdullah as they pose for a group photo during an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Turkey, December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC1F351E9400

Jordan and Turkey get cozy

Jordan and Turkey are boosting political, trade and economic ties amid regional challenges and shared interests in the outcome of nearby conflicts.

Salih Muslim Muhammad chairman of the PYD, the Syrian branch of the PKK answers journalists' questions as he arrives to pay tribute to the victims of the attacks claimed by Islamic State which killed at least 129 people and left more than 350 injured, on November 17, 2015 in front of the Bataclan theatrein Paris. AFP PHOTO / ADRIEN MORLENT (Photo credit should read ADRIEN MORLENT/AFP/Getty Images)

Salih Muslim: Syria's Kurdish problems will be solved by Syrians, not Turkey

In an interview just days before being arrested in Prague at Turkey's request, Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim spoke to Al-Monitor about his relations with Ankara.

Banners with pictures of modern Turkey's founder Ataturk and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan are pictured during the opening ceremony of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Imam Hatip School in Istanbul, Turkey, September 29, 2017. Picture taken September 29, 2017. To match Special Report TURKEY-ERDOGAN/EDUCATION REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1E9AE58B80

Signs point to early Turkish elections

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may exploit a fractured opposition and a popular military campaign to bring forward presidential and parliament elections, cementing the new powers he won in last year’s referendum.

Satan's eating habits latest topic of Turkish public debate

Turkey’s president allows criticism of the country’s religious authority as long as it serves his purpose.

Turkish women from different cities join a demonstration against the adultery ban in Ankara, September 14, 2004. The Turkish parliament meets in an extraordinary session on Tuesday to push through a massive series of amendments to the country's penal code. Most of the 348 articles of the penal code are to be changed under the draft legislation tabled by the ruling Justice and Development Party, including the amendment that is making adultery a criminal offence. REUTERS/Umit Bektas UB/GB - RP5DRIAIJWAA

Turkey wants to criminalize adultery

Upon instructions from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Justice Ministry is working on new legislation outlawing adultery.

Turkey props up industrial zone in Syria's al-Bab

Turkey is helping set up a commercial hub in northern Syria to boost economic development in areas liberated from the Islamic State.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil meets with Acting Assistant U.S. Secretary of State David Satterfield and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard in Beirut, Lebanon February 21, 2018. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RC1C36783760

Satterfield’s shuttle diplomacy may offer diplomatic opening for Syria

Is there more to the talks about Block 9? Success of UN Security Council cease-fire depends on definition of "terrorist."