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

Turkey

Turkey

August 17, 2026

Ankara 5:43 pm

27°C

Fireworks explode over Islamabad

Analysis

How Israel's rivalry, defense deals prompted Turkey to join Mecca pact

Turkey’s growing rivalry with Israel and mounting regional instability are driving its defense alignment with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, despite risks of strategic entanglement and friction with NATO partners.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Exclusive

Turkey set to sign charter for Saudi-led Red Sea coalition on Friday

Servicemen of Yavuz class, TCG Turgutreis (F-241), warship stand at attention on the deck as they participate in the live-fire phase of the "Blue Homeland-2026" (Mavi Vatan) tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Explainer

Three ways China benefits from Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact: What to know

SPA

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

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

Men chat as they sit on a bench in front of the New Mosque, bearing Turkish flags, in the Eminonu district in Istanbul, on January 10, 2023. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey says it busted Israeli Mossad spy ring targeting Hezbollah, others

Turkey has detained seven people for spying on behalf of Israel on a major multinational espionage operation.

Metamorfoz

Turkey TV series paints dark picture of jailed activist Osman Kavala

A new series on Turkey’s new streaming service Tabii presents a brazen caricature of Osman Kavala, the philanthropist and human rights activist serving a life sentence.

Supporters of Iraq's Sadrist movement gather outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on June 30, 2023 for a second day of protests against a Koran burning outside a Stockholm mosque that outraged Muslims around the world. The protest came a day after an Iraqi citizen living in Sweden, Salwan Momika, 37, stomped on the Islamic holy book and set several pages alight in front of the capital's largest mosque. Swedish police had granted him a permit in line with free-speech protections, but authorities later said

As protests continue against Sweden, OIC to meet in Saudi on Quran burning

Member states are set to discuss measures to be taken against attacks on the Muslim holy book.

(L-R) Turkey's NATO Ambassador Zeki Levent Gumrukcu, Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs James Cleverly, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attend an Informal Meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Foreign Ministers in Oslo, Norway on June 1, 2023.

Will Turkey greenlight Sweden's NATO bid?

In an excerpt from this week's Turkey Briefing, Amberin Zaman looks at the latest drama surrounding Ankara's efforts to hold up Stockholm's accession to NATO.

An undated image of the exhibition at Feshane.

Turkey Islamist group calls for art expo's closure for 'blasphemy,' LGBTQ 'propaganda'

Islamist media and AKP members attacked Istanbul Municipality’s inaugural exhibition of top Turkish artists at Feshane, a recently renovated 19th-century factory.

Women activists of Pakistan Markazi Muslim League take part in a protest rally in Lahore on Jan. 29, 2023.

Middle East condemns, protests Quran burning in Sweden by Iraqi refugee

Quran burnings in Sweden have damaged the potential NATO member’s relationship with Turkey.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Armenia PM wishes Turkey’s Erdogan happy Eid as Azerbaijan targets Nagorno-Karabakh

Diplomatic sources say the call comes amid an ongoing effort aimed at getting Turkey to rein in an increasingly aggressive Azerbaijan.

Activists of the "Alliance against NATO" network hold a banner reading "No to NATO! - No alliance with fascists" during a demonstration for freedom of speech and association, in support of democratic forces in Turkey and against Swedish NATO membership, on June 4, 2023 in Stockholm, Sweden. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Stockholm city centre to demonstrate against Sweden's NATO bid and new anti-terror legislation, despite Ankara's objections. (Photo by Maja SUSLIN / TT News Agency / AFP) / S

Analysis

Turkey fumes at Quran burning in Sweden ahead of critical NATO talks

As a new protest adds a further layer of stress in NATO talks between Turkey and Sweden, analysts believe that prospects are "close to zero" for the Nordic nation’s accession to the alliance before the bloc’s summit.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Muslim worshippers take pictures of each other after attending the Eid al-Adha morning prayers at Doha's Education City Stadium, which hosted matches during Qatar's 2022 FIFA World Cup, on the first day of the Muslim holiday on June 28, 2023. Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, marks the end of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Qatar seen most peaceful in Middle East as Israel dips, Turkey ties Iran: GPI

The Global Peace Index placed Turkey as the least peaceful country in Europe ranking, and tied with Iran as the 147th most peaceful country globally.

A screen grab from a video of Merdan Yanardag uploaded April 14, 2023.

Turkey arrests prominent TV journalist over criticizing Ocalan's isolation

Journalist Merdan Yanardag’s arrest comes amid a post-election climate in which many journalists feel threatened, according to media watchdogs.

A woman walks in a hallway at Sehit Duran primary school in Adana, Turkey, March 18, 2019.

Culture

Turkey’s conservatives tighten grip on schools as imams appointed ‘spiritual counselors’

Pro-secular parties and education unions launch a series of protests after Izmir's Religious Affairs Office, the local branch of Turkey’s powerful Diyanet, assigns imams and preachers to one-third of elementary and secondary schools for spiritual guidance.

Saudi-Iran-China

New Al-Monitor Newsletter: The China-Middle East Briefing

Sign up to stay on top of China's quickly growing role in the region.