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

Turkey

Turkey

October 24, 2026

Ankara 7:27 pm

17°C

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets with Saddam Haftar, Deputy Commander of the Libyan National Army, in Benghazi, Aug. 12, 2026.

Analysis

Turkey's Libya maritime win no guarantee for Saddam Hifter's presidential ambitions

Turkey’s push to broker Libyan reunification has gained momentum with the ratification of a maritime deal, but political divisions and competing regional interests could limit Ankara’s influence.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

A German Air Force Eurofighter jet is seen during the NATO Media Day at Lielvarde Air Base in Lielvarde, Latvia, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey says Qatar Eurofighter jet deal still on track despite Iran war

Ankara expects Doha to submit a draft sales contract for the fighter jets, as Turkey seeks to acquire aircraft that can be delivered sooner than its newly ordered Eurofighters.

In this stock image, a female embryologist demonstrates freezing straws with embryos and sperm in real IVF laboratory.

Culture

Turkey egg donor scam allegedly sold clients on promise of blond babies

An investigation triggered by a husband’s tip has led to at least 45 arrests in an alleged network that sold Turkish donor eggs to foreign clients seeking Scandinavian ancestry.

Latest News

Analysis

What's at stake as Libya's eastern parliament approves Turkey maritime deal

Fidan

Ezgi Akin

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

Turkey sends Mecca defense pact with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to parliament for ratification

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Ankara, Turkey, Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey's defense industry set to hit $20B in new contracts in 2026

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Analysis

Turkey turns to Iran to contain Houthis as Saudi defense commitments grow

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a press conference in Tehran on November 30, 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

Turkey resuming domestic and international flights

Domestic airline flights recommence in Turkey and international flights to 40 countries are expected.

Enis Berberoglu, the first lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) to be jailed amid government purges following a failed military coup in 2016, is seen with his supporters after being released from the prison in Silivri near Istanbul, Turkey, September 20, 2018. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir - RC1FA81551A0

Fury as three Turkish lawmakers stripped of seats

Three Turkish opposition lawmakers lost their parliament seats today over controversial terror convictions as the chamber erupted in howls of protest, opposition deputies banging on their lecterns and shouting "Down with fascism."

An elderly couple poses for a picture at a park, as seniors over 65 years old have been exempted from curfew for six hours during the first day of Eid, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, May 24, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC21VG9TUYL9

Elderly Turks furious over 'nonsense' lockdown

Grumbles are growing from senior citizens in Turkey who remain confined to their homes as curfews are lifted for most other Turks.

Turkey to reopen border crossings with Iran, Iraq

By opening two border crossings with Iran and Iraq, Turkey is seeking to boost the economy, and many businesses resume operations in the country this week.

Turkish drilling vessel Yavuz is escorted by Turkish Navy frigate TCG Gemlik (F-492) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Cyprus, August 6, 2019. Picture taken August 6, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC110E733AB0

EU criticizes Turkish energy exploration in Mediterranean

Turkey disputes the European Union's position that the waters where Turkey hopes to drill for hydrocarbon belong to Greece and Cyprus.

Women wearing protective face masks walk at the spice market, also known as the Egyptian Bazaar, as it reopens after weeks of the close doors amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, June 1, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC2B0H9WHBPH

As Turkey gets back to business, doctors warn second wave could follow

Cafes and restaurants reopened and intercity travel resumed in Turkey after new cases of the novel coronavirus have steadily declined, though health officials warn failure to follow social distancing measures could lead to new infections.

U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 10, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller - RC1C1F12DE90

Turkey issues warrants for over 100 accused of Gulen ties

The Turkish prosecutor's office ordered the arrest of 118 people suspected of ties to the outlawed Gulen movement.

SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB Crowds of angry protestors line the motorcade route as seen from inside U.S. President Donald Trump's motorcade as he travels through Washington to visit the Saint John Paul II National Shrine as protests continue over the death in police custody of George Floyd, in Washington, U.S., June 2, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner - RC241H90KOXZ

Turkey ignores its own record, denouncing press clampdown in US protests

Turkish officials have denounced the crackdown on journalists in the United States, drawing criticism given Ankara's own record on press freedom.

Syriac Christian girls, who are members of the choir, attend a mass on Christmas at the Virgin Mary Syriac Orthodox Church in Diyarbakir, Turkey, December 25, 2017. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RC1E35E59DE0

Minorities in Turkey on edge amid threats, attacks

Vulnerable groups have faced intimidation or worse in recent weeks in what both the government and the opposition warn are efforts to stoke conflict, though they disagree on who’s to blame.

Women hold food aid distributed by humanitarian institutions in Afrin, Syria March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC169F36FD00

‘An insult to women’ everywhere: Afrin kidnappings prompt calls for investigation of Turkey-backed rebels

A video reportedly showing detained women inside a secret prison in Afrin has prompted further criticism of Turkey's proxy forces operating in Syria.

Members of the Great Lakes anti-fascist organization (Antifa) fly flags during a protest against the Alt-right outside a hotel in Warren, Michigan, U.S., March 4, 2018. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith - RC1B5E31E310

Turkey looks to link Syrian Kurdish militia to ANTIFA following Trump tweet

Some foreign veterans of the People's Protection Units (YPG) disagree with the Turkish assertion that ANTIFA and the Kurdish group are connected.

An Islamic State flag flies over the custom office of Syria's Jarablus border gate as it is pictured from the Turkish town of Karkamis, in Gaziantep province, Turkey August 1, 2015. Karkamis is a Turkish town of 10,500 people that sits directly opposite the border post. Shut for more than a year, the military sealed the crossing with a breeze block wall a few months ago. Behind it, just inside Syria, the black flag of Islamic State flaps in the breeze. Karkamis lies on the northeastern edge of a rectangle o

Turkey deports 12 Islamic State-linked fighters to Finland

The move comes after European governments have largely declined to take back detained citizens with links to the terror group.