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

Turkey

Turkey

April 26, 2026

Ankara 7:04 am

10°C

CORLU, TURKEY- MARCH 2: A B model of Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA (Assault Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in the sky on March 2, 2022 in Corlu, Turkey. (Photo by Baykar Press Office/dia images via Getty Images)

Turkey’s Baykar tests K2 swarm kamikaze drones for first time: What to know

Baykar tested its K2 and new loitering drones, featuring AI-driven swarm capabilities and the ability to operate under GPS jamming.

US Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a meeting with President Donald Trump and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 25, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Trump envoy Barrack’s embrace of 'strong leaders' sparks fury in Turkey

Turkish opposition members say envoy Tom Barrack’s remarks praising “strong leaders” and monarchies undermine Turkey’s democratic tradition and embolden President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Members of Iraq's security forces stand guard on the the al-Rabia border crossing with Syria on April 20, 2026.

How Syria's border opening with Iraq redefines Turkey-Kurd balance

After years of closure, the reopening of al-Yaaroubiya crossing is redrawing Kurdish economic leverage and reinforcing Turkey’s regional strategy.

Latest News

Analysis

Italy’s TB3 drone deal signals turn toward Turkey amid US-NATO tensions

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shake hands during the press conference following their meeting at Villa Doria Pamphilj, on April 29, 2025, in Rome, Italy.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?

Kurdish people waving Kurdistan flags gather to celebrate Nowruz on the hill of Urkesh in the countryside of Amuda in northeastern Syria on March 18, 2026. Nowruz, meaning "new day," is an ancient festival that marks the start of spring and the new year on the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20 or 21. It is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide and has been observed for over 3,000 years across regions including the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Eastern Euro

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Turkish and Turkish Cypriot flags wave next to a drilling tower 25 km (16 miles) from Famagusta April 26, 2012. Turkish Cypriot Leader Dervis Eroglu and Turkey's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz attended a ceremony marking the start of joint gas and oil exploration works in northern Cyprus between Turkey's state-owned energy company TPAO and the Turkish-Cypriot administration. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (CYPRUS - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY BUSINESS) - GM1E84Q1HIQ01

Congress adds new irritant in US-Turkey relations with pro-Cyprus push

Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee want to lift the arms sale ban on the disputed island.

Supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) celebrate municipal elections results in Diyarbakir, Turkey, March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RC174F6B2F50

How the Kurdish factor had a boomerang effect in Erdogan's election defeat

Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party played a key role in Erdogan’s defeats in big cities in the local polls, managing to get its voters to back mayoral candidates from the main opposition bloc while sitting out the races.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during a rally for the upcoming local elections in Istanbul, Turkey, March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC19DC901700

Police raid homes in Istanbul as AKP demands new vote

As the Justice and Development Party calls for an election rerun in Istanbul, police have been raiding dozens of homes in one of the city's districts on the hunt for more than 20,000 voters the ruling party claims the main opposition falsely registered or unlawfully removed from the lists.

Men rest in Vakifli village, which is located in Hatay province, June 13, 2007. In sleepy Vakifli, Turkey's last surviving ethnic Armenian village, perched high among orange groves overlooking the east Mediterranean, elderly farmers say they will probably vote for the Islamist-rooted AK Party in July 22 elections. Picture taken June 13, 2006. To match feature TURKEY-ELECTION/CHRISTIANS REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY) - GM1DVNFQSPAA

Some elderly Turks face silent, slow killers: Abuse and neglect

By 2050, 20% of Turkey's population will be over the age of 65, but social taboos prevent people from publicly addressing elder abuse and the specific needs of the elderly.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan walks past a guard of honour as he attends a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia April 8, 2019. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC139E354840

Erdogan flirts with fire as sparks fly over missile deal

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to almost revel in the controversy over Turkey's planned purchase of a Russian missile system even as pressure mounts to scrap it and stakes continue to rise.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) and Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu face reporters before their meeting at the State Department in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC17E36FD880

Turkish-American ties enter uncharted territory

The US-Turkish relationship is in such a bad state that the sides can’t even agree on what was discussed during high-level bilateral talks.

Turkey’s 'morally clean' TV series under fire

Amid a big expansion in their foreign audience, Turkish TV series are barred from featuring alcohol, smoking and anything sexual, but are free to show unstinted violence.

Supporters of AK Party stand in front of a billboard picturing Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, in Istanbul, Turkey March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Kemal Aslan - RC17147821E0

Ruling party to seek new election in Istanbul

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party said it is filing an appeal to cancel the results of the Istanbul mayoral election, citing irregularities, after the vote recount it sought has so far failed to change the outcome that saw it lose its longtime control of Turkey’s biggest city.

A Russian S-400 air defence mobile missile launching system takes part in a rehearsal for a military parade in Minsk June 26, 2014. Belarus will mark the 70th anniversary of the country's liberation from the Nazis on July 3. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko (BELARUS - Tags: MILITARY ANNIVERSARY) - GM1EA6R03KP01

Intel: How the US, Turkey got into standoff over Russia’s S-400 air defense system

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 8 April 2019. Maxim Shipenkov/Pool via REUTERS - RC1D77CA39C0

Russia, Turkey look to strengthen relationship beyond Syria

Contrary to expectations, in Moscow Syria was a marginal story while Putin and Erdogan focused on further boosting bilateral ties.

Syrian military keeps shelling Idlib despite demilitarized zone

Turkish military patrols in the demilitarized zone in Idlib haven't kept the Syrian regime from shelling the area, and a Syrian opposition faction says it will respond in kind.

Turkey's Orange Blossom Carnival blooms despite economic, political woes

Orange Blossom Carnival is Turkey’s first and only street carnival, which in its seventh year attracted over 250,000 visitors to southern Adana province over the weekend, all for the love of color.