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

Turkey

Turkey

September 6, 2026

Ankara 11:49 am

26°C

TAI Hurjet

Analysis

With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones

With export revenue from the supersonic crewed aircraft, Ankara plans to fund next-generation projects and gain strategic diplomatic and military leverage across NATO and the region.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Ibrahim Kalin, Turkish presidential spokesperson, gives a press conference at the Presidential Complex, Ankara, May 25, 2022.

Turkey and Greece's intelligence chiefs hold rare talks: What to know

The meeting comes after Turkey recently warned Greece over what it called an arms race in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

US sanctions Turkey-based bank over Iran ties

The Treasury Department said Golden Global Bank was facilitating transactions for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Mecca Alliance

Israel, Greece sign $3.5 billion air-defense deal: What to know

Against the backdrop of growing tensions with Turkey, Israel signed one of its largest-ever defense industry deals to supply Greece with advanced air defense systems.

Latest News

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan set Mecca Alliance into motion

Mecca Alliance

Analysis

Why Turkey welcomes Israel-Syria talks despite mounting red lines

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrive for a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Feb. 4, 2025.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Culture

In divided Cyprus, FC Barcelona youth camp sparks new dispute: What to know

Barcelona

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

Russian peacekeepers patrol at a checkpoint near Shusha along the Goris-Stepanakert road on November 17, 2020. - The first civilians are driving through the six-kilometre Lachin corridor, which is Armenias sole land link with Nagorno-Karabakh following the Moscow-brokered peace deal that ended six weeks of fierce fighting over the disputed region. Safe passage of people and goods is ensured by Russian peacekeepers. (Photo by Andrey BORODULIN / AFP) (Photo by ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Why Erdogan seeks fresh military mandate for Azerbaijan

Turkey’s government has obtained a broad parliamentary mandate for military deployment in Azerbaijan, signaling intentions beyond the joint cease-fire-monitoring center agreed with Russia.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) listens to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians during a meeting at The Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul on November 17, 2020. (Photo by Patrick Semansky / POOL / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK SEMANSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Pompeo skips Ankara, meets with Christian leader in final Turkey visit

In his final visit to Turkey as US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo met with the Orthodox Christian spiritual leader in Istanbul Tuesday, forgoing meetings with state officials in a possible message to conservative American voters.

VAROSHA, CYPRUS - NOVEMBER 15: Turkish Cypriot police stand before portrait of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on November 15, 2020 in the disputal coastal town of Varosha, in Famagusta, Cyprus. Erdogan visited the ghost town of Famagusta to have a picnic during a state visit to the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC)(Photo by Alexis Mitas/Getty Images)

Erdogan's call for two-state solution in Cyprus dims hopes for Turkish 'reset' with West

Speaking during a visit to Northern Cyprus, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would continue drilling in contested waters around Cyprus and the Greek islands “until a fair settlement” was reached.

Russian-built Proton-M rocket with the Turksat-4A Turkish communications satellite blasts off at the Russian leased Kazakhstan's Baikonur cosmodrome on February 15, 2014. AFP PHOTO/STRINGER (Photo credit should read STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey's space program not yet ready for takeoff

Turkey’s ambitious space program has made some concrete achievements, but Ankara has yet to resolve structural and financial problems snagging development in the sector.

Should Turkish justice minister's comments fuel hope for release of philanthropist Osman Kavala?

Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul spoke out against the widespread practice of arbitrary detentions Friday, fueling speculation that Turkish philanthropist and civic activist Osman Kavala, who has been in jail for more than three years on a slew of outlandish charges, may be finally freed.

Intel: US blames ‘scheduling issue’ for no Pompeo-Erdogan meeting

A State Department official said Pompeo's "tight schedule" will keep him from meeting Turkish officials when in Istanbul next week.

A man sitting on a public bench smokes a cigarette while using his mobile phone in Ankara on November 13, 2020, after Turkey banned smoking in outdoor public areas as part of restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus. - Turkey on November 11, 2020, announced a ban on smoking across the country in a number of outdoor spaces including crowded streets, public squares and transport stops, in a bid to limit rising Covid-19 infections. The ban was issued o

Desperate doctors call for lockdown in Istanbul

Turkish medical associations as well as the mayor are appealing to the Turkish government to close down Istanbul as daily deaths reach April levels.

People stand on the "Meeting Point", a temporary designed mobile public forum and exhibition center on Febuary 18, 2020 near Gezi Park in Istanbul. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)

Art perseveres in Istanbul despite coronavirus

The city’s traditional fall art season is underway as curators take new approaches to exhibit work safely and sustainably during the coronavirus pandemic, despite confusing government restrictions about what would be allowed to go ahead.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - NOVEMBER 09: A man uses an automated teller machine (ATM) at a Turkey's Akbank branch on November 09, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, the son-in-law of President Erdogan who has been in the role for five years, resigned Sunday citing health reasons. The country's currency has plunged 30 percent this year. After the resignation of Berat Albayrak, Turkish lira gained 3% against $ following the resignation. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)

Turkish lira makes gains on renewed optimism

After hitting a series of record lows, Turkey’s currency rebounded more 7% this week as investors expect sharp policy reversals by the nation’s newly appointed economy team.

TOPSHOT - Armenian soldiers light candles as they pay a final tribute to fallen comrades at the 12th-13th century Orthodox Dadivank Monastery on the outskirts of Kalbajar on November 12, 2020, during the military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. - Kalbajar is one of the seven districts which will be transferred to Azerbaijan as part of a deal on Nagorno-Karabakh. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

South Caucasus deal echoes plan from 30 years ago

Although some in Turkey see Russia as the real winner of the Russian-brokered truce between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the deal has elevated Turkey to a regional power in the south Caucasus.

Screws tighten on Gray Wolves, Erdogan’s European guard

France’s decision to outlaw the Gray Wolves marks a new milestone in Erdogan’s showdown with Europe over Turkish migrant groups, which he uses as a tool to advance his political agenda.

Turkey bans public smoking in virus mitigation effort

Turkey has been recording more than 2,000 cases of COVID-19 a day for weeks, and there are concerns the government is underreporting virus deaths.