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Turkey

October 8, 2026

Ankara 3:03 pm

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Turkish Navy infantry soldiers take part in the Denizkurdu-I/2026 Exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Aksaz, at Marmaris in Mugla, on Sept. 24, 2026.

Turkey to send Mecca pact to parliament, opening path to Saudi deployment

Parliamentary ratification will remove a legal hurdle for Turkish military deployment to Saudi Arabia under a trilateral defense pact.

Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay (R) his wife Oznur Tugay and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledge the audience after the mayor announced joining the ruling Justice and Development Party during a meeting with AKP lawmakers in Ankara, on Oct. 7, 2026.

Latest defection hands Erdogan’s AKP control of Turkey’s third-largest city

The ruling party’s takeover of Izmir’s mayoralty is the latest example of the unraveling of the opposition parties’ historic gains in Turkey’s 2024 local elections.

Turkey's Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya speaks to media after arriving at the Ataturk International airport on March 12, 2017, in Istanbul.

Erdogan aide named suspect in Turkey financial scandal

Former AKP deputy chairwoman Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya is facing allegations of being linked to a market manipulation scandal.

A Yemeni man holds up a mock missile decorated with the colors of the Palestinian flag and the chechered keffiyeh in front of portraits of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar (L) and the leader of the Houthi movement, Abdel Malek al-Houthi (R), during a protest in Sanaa to denounce strikes on Yemen and Israel's bombardment of Gaza on Jan. 15, 2025.

Turkey, Pakistan to deploy forces to Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks

Turkish, Saudi and Pakistani officials agreed to bolster military cooperation under the Mecca defense pact as Houthi attacks and fighting in Yemen intensify.

Latest News

Analysis

Turkey revives F-16 talks with US amid Israel, Greece deterrence concerns

Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Turkey’s $20B fund crisis: Who profited, and who will pay?

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

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Turkey mine collapse death toll rises to five: What to know

Turkey-Greece cable dispute hits impasse as Ankara insists on prior coordination

The Hellenic Navy Roussen or Super Vita class Fast Missile Patrol Boat P 71 HS Ritsos patrols off the tiny Greek island of Kastellorizo (Megisti), in the Dodecanese, the furthest south eastern Greek Island, 2 kilometers from the Turkish mainland, on Aug. 28, 2020.

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

ANKARA, TURKEY - OCTOBER 23: Turkish Jandarma stand guard at the entrance to the Turkish Aerospace Industries facility following an attack on October 23, 2024 in Ankara, Turkey. An attack occurred at the Turkish Aerospace Industries facility in Ankara, with preliminary reports suggesting two attackers detonated an explosive device and opened fire at the entrance gate of the facility. (Photo by Serdar Ozsoy/Getty Images)

At least 7 killed, 22 injured in attack on Turkey’s defense company TUSAS

A series of explosions and gunshots were heard at TUSAS, Turkey’s state-run aerospace and defense company, in an attack Turkey’s defense chief blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party.

Supporters of the Kurdish community demonstrate with flags and banners on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the arrest of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan (portrait on the placard at C) on the banks of the Rhine river in Cologne, western Germany, on February 17, 2024. Abdullah Ocalan, who founded the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) nearly half a century ago and has languished in solitary confinement on a prison island since 1999, is hailed as an icon by some Kurds but denounced by m

In shift, Erdogan's top ally says Ocalan’s life sentence can be reassessed if PKK disbands

Devlet Bahceli also suggested that the conditions of the militant leader’s life sentence without parole be reconsidered if he agrees to make such a call.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

How death of Fethullah Gulen, Erdogan's nemesis, could impact US-Turkey ties

The death of the infamous US-based preacher will likely impact US-Turkey relations after years of extradition disputes.

European Union flags fly outside the European Commission building in Brussels on April 12, 2024.

Turkey: Support for EU on rise as trust of US, China, Russia remains low

A recent survey reveals an increase in favorability for the EU and NATO in Turkey, while perceptions of the United States, China and Russia continue to falter.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands in front of a Eurofighter Tycoon combat aircraft as he speaks during a visit to the Bavarian plant of European aircraft maker Airbus in Manching, southern Germany, January 19, 2024.

Analysis

Can Turkey-Germany summit produce breakthrough on Eurofighter sale?

Eurofighters for Turkey are expected to top Olaf Scholz's meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. A senior Turkish defense industry official told Al-Monitor that local production of some of the parts might be an option.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (center right) met with Hamas political leaders, including Shura Council head Mohammad Darwish (center left), in Istanbul on Oct. 18, 2024.

Turkey’s Fidan meets Hamas political leaders in Istanbul after Sinwar's killing

The meeting came a day after the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the militant group's leader, was confirmed and coincided with the top Iranian diplomat Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Turkey.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets KRG leader Nechirvan Barzani in Ankara, on Oct. 16, 2024.

Turkey’s Erdogan meets KRG President Barzani ahead of Iraqi Kurdistan vote

Barzani’s visit comes just amid Turkey's nascent attempt to use diplomacy, alongside ongoing military measures, to solve the 40-year-old Kurdish conflict.

MURTAJA LATEEF/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s FM Araghchi mobilizes against Israel in visits to Jordan, Egypt, Turkey

Iran’s foreign minister has paid visits to several countries in the region in the past weeks, with the latest stop taking him to Jordan, amid Israel’s expected retaliation for Iran's missile attack.

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (L) and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar (R) speak to reporters outside the anthropological laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) in the United Nations buffer zone splitting the divided capital Nicosia on July 28, 2023.

As crisis cripples region, long-divided Cyprus' leaders meet in New York

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides are meeting with the UN chief Tuesday, but recent history inspires doubt about their ability to resume the negotiations.

Israeli security and emergency personnel cordon off the site of an explosion in Tel Aviv, on Aug. 18, 2024.

Israel says August Tel Aviv suicide attack planned by Hamas office in Turkey

The Shin Bet and Israel Police revealed that they arrested nine people suspected of involvement in the August Tel Aviv suicide bomber attack, allegedly carried out under instructions from Hamas' office in Turkey.

Turkish air force fighter jets perform a military parade over the Bosphorus as Camlica mosque is seen in the background to mark the 100th anniversary of Turkish Republic in Istanbul on Oct. 29,2023.

Erdogan’s AKP postpones bill to impose credit card fees to support Turkey’s defense

Plans to collect credit card fees in a bid to boost the defense industry are put on hold after a public backlash.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus on July 20, 2024 in occupied northern Nicosia, Cyprus.

Turkey’s Erdogan confirms 'political softening' with pro-Kurdish party

The statement comes amid a public debate on the possible revival of a process aiming to settle the country’s 40-year-old Kurdish problem through peaceful means.