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Turkey

Turkey

September 18, 2026

Ankara 8:32 am

17°C

Traders work at their desks on the floor of the Borsa Istanbul

Turkey detains finance executives amid market turmoil

Several prominent Turkish finance executives were swept up by authorities on Thursday amid efforts to contain a market rout that has exposed strains in the country’s investment-fund industry.

Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's Erdogan to run for 'final' third term in 2028, adviser says

If Turkey's parliament votes to move the next election up during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s second term, he could constitutionally run for third.

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)

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

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during a rally for the upcoming referendum in the Kurdish-dominated southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, April 1, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX33N12

Fears of foul play hang over Turkish referendum

In the final stretch before Turkey’s critical referendum, “no” voters are concerned about government meddling and electoral fraud in what is expected to be a nail-biting vote on the country’s future.

An internally displaced boy sits on the ground near a school in the village of al-Heesha in Raqqa district after it was captured from Islamic State, north of Raqqa city, Syria November 15, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX2TU3Q

Displaced Raqqa teachers prepare for rebuilding education post-IS

On April 2, a group of teachers from Raqqa held a meeting in southern Turkey to discuss how to proceed with restoring schooling and education once their city is liberated from the Islamic State.

Kurdish Regional Government President Masoud Barzani speaks to the media during his visits in the town of Bashiqa, after it was recaptured from the Islamic State, east of Mosul, Iraq, November 16, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTX2TYYB

Could Kurds hold independence referendum this year?

The Kurdistan Democratic Party is rushing to organize an independence referendum; however, there is no agreement on this matter among other Kurdish parties, and Baghdad, Iran and Turkey have strong reservations.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA - APRIL 7: In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, the guided-missile destroyer USS Ross fires a Tomahawk land attack missile April 7, 2017 in the Mediterranean Sea. The Arleigh Burke-class Ross was one of two destroyers that fired a total of 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian military airfield in retaliation for a chemical attack that killed scores of civilians this week. The attack was the first direct U.S. assault on Syria and the government of President Bashar al-Assad in the six-year

How Turkey's 'hasty' support for US missile strike could backfire

Turkey's rash decisions about Syria could make it appear fickle to both Russia and the United States.

Why was deal to evacuate Syrian towns brokered by Qatar and Iran?

A deal brokered by Qatar and Iran that ignores Turkey and Russia — the largest respective sponsors of the opposition and the regime in Syria — threatens to derail broader peace talks aimed at ending the tragic civil war.

Men ride a motorbike past a hazard sign at a site hit by an airstrike on Tuesday in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria April 5, 2017. The hazard sign reads, "Danger, unexploded ammunition". REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah - RTX3475J

Proof of poison gas in Syria massacre could reshape war

Now that autopsies have revealed evidence that chemical weapons were used in the attack in Idlib, calls are louder than ever for action against the Syrian regime and the United States could well respond with force.

Why did Erdogan sign emergency decree on laser hair removal?

In a last ditch effort to mobilize the "yes" vote for the April 16 referendum, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan resorts to unconventional methods, shocking Islamists and seculars in Turkey.

Interview

PKK leader: International mediation needed on Kurdish issue

In an exclusive interview, Al-Monitor met Cemil Bayik, one of the main leaders of the Kurdistan Workers Party, in northern Iraq's Qandil Mountains to talk about the current dispute between the Kurds and Turkey and its impact on Iraq.

Cemil Bayik

Cemil Bayik

Founder of the PKK

Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold "Yes" campaign flags and "Yes" banners during a rally for the upcoming referendum in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, Turkey April 3, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX33WEX

Congress raises specter of rupture with Turkey if referendum passes

A House panel slammed Ankara's authoritarian drift ahead of the April 16 vote.

Turkish Parliament convene to debate on the proposed constitutional changes in Ankara, Turkey, January 12, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2YN10

Will Turkey allow 18-year-old members of parliament?

One of the proposed amendments to Turkey’s constitution is the lowering of the age of candidacy for parliament to 18. What does that mean for Turkey's youth?

A money changer counts Turkish lira bills at an currency exchange office in central Istanbul, Turkey, August 21, 2015. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo - RTSKTP9

Why Turkey’s growth data has economists scratching their heads

Turkey’s latest growth data, which suggests the economy rebounded strongly in the fourth quarter of 2016, appears out of sync with other key indicators, fueling doubts over Ankara’s new calculation method.

A Syrian man receives treatment at a small hospital in the town of Maaret al-Noman following a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a nearby rebel-held town in Syrias northwestern Idlib province, on April 4, 2017.
Warplanes carried out a suspected toxic gas attack that killed at least 35 people including several children, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said those killed in the town of Khan Sheikhun, in Idlib province, had died from the effects of the gas, adding tha

Turkish outrage mounts as doctors point to neurotoxin in Idlib attack

In Turkish hospitals, medical staff including a team from Doctors Without Borders report mounting evidence that victims of yesterday's attack may have been exposed to sarin or a similar toxin.