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

Turkey

Turkey

September 8, 2026

Ankara 11:27 pm

14°C

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)

Russia to give Turkey preferential fertilizer access amid Hormuz supply crunch

Ankara is expected to secure easier access to Russian fertilizer exports as the Iran war disrupts supplies from key Gulf producers.

Leyla Borovali at her studio overlooking the Aegean

Culture

Turkish ceramicist Leyla Borovali shapes Aegean heritage into clay

Named by AD Middle East as one of 11 artists from Turkey to know, Leyla Borovali belongs to a new generation building on a ceramic tradition shaped by figures from Fureya Koral and Alev Ebuzziya Siesbye to Elif Uras.

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.

Latest News

US sanctions Turkey-based bank over Iran ties

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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

Mecca Alliance

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

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 soldiers walk at the Atmeh crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border, as seen from the Syrian side, in Idlib governorate, Syria May 31, 2019. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC17B93A8C20

Turkey squashed by Idlib pressure

Despite the usual bluster in his traditional Ramadan address, Turkey's president said not a word about the destruction in Syria's Idlib, where Ankara's balance is wobbling.

The Justice Palace is seen in Ankara, Turkey November 22, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC154CA58B10

Can Turkey correct human rights record with new justice reform strategy?

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has just announced a comprehensive judicial reform program, but will it be enough to solve the country's deepening human rights problems?

Ottoman fountains testify to heritage of charity, style

Water fountains became functional and artistic ornaments in Istanbul, the Ottoman capital, pioneering architectural trends and incorporating historical information.

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium July 11, 2018. Tatyana Zenkovich/Pool via REUTERS - RC1B9A3C2D00

US denies willingness to talk over S-400 concerns with Turkey

A Pentagon spokesman told Al-Monitor that its concerns with Ankara’s purchase of the Russian missile defense system “cannot be mitigated.”

Russian military jets are seen at Hmeymim air base in Syria, June 18, 2016. Picture taken June 18, 2016. REUTERS/Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defense Ministry via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - S1AETKWCWFAA

How Russia defends its Syrian air base from attacks

Russia has been using attacks on its air base in Khmeimim as a leverage in talks with Turkey over Idlib, but has also taken some practical steps to counter the assaults.

Turkish soldiers stand in front of the Turkish memorial during an international service marking the 103rd anniversary of the World War I campaign in Gallipoli, Turkey, April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1E56201C10

Turkey to end draft — for those who can pay

A proposed bill to change Turkey's conscription practices has stirred fierce debate and warnings from military experts.

People shop at a bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey, May 29, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1956071CA0

Voters’ economic confidence dips ahead of key Istanbul vote

Turkey’s consumer confidence index, which also reflects voter confidence, has plunged to a record low ahead of a critical rerun of the mayoral election in Istanbul next month.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini address a joint news conference atfer a Turkey-EU Association Council in Brussels, Belgium, March 15, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RC1FD5E9ABC0

EU slams Turkey on human rights in annual report

In a progress report on would-be EU member Turkey, the European Union slammed the country's human rights record as an endless stream of damning accounts emerges.

Who are the heroes, hustlers and innovators of Kurdish wedding music?

In marathon-like Kurdish weddings that can last for days, local wedding singers steer their audiences between folk songs, national anthems and even techno music.

Demonstrators wave Turkish and Iraqi Turkmen (blue) flags during a protest against the independence referendum in northern Iraq, in Istanbul, Turkey, September 17, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1F65EFDC90

Ankara backs some Turkmens in Iraqi politics, shuns others

By ostracizing Turkmen politicians who supported the 2017 independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkey could be shooting itself in the foot.

A foreign wife of Islamic State militants holds her child at Hammam Al-Alil camp in south of Mosul, Iraq September 13, 2017. Picture taken September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1F166AB320

Intel: Turkey, Iraq to decide fate of 'Islamic State children'

Ekrem Imamoglu, ousted Istanbul Mayor from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), is pictured during an interview with Reuters in Istanbul, Turkey, May 9, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1217162440

Polls show opposition candidate ahead as Istanbul rerun nears

Ekrem Imamoglu, who won the election as Istanbul mayor in March before he was forced to step down, has expanded his support ahead of the doover election on June 23.