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

Turkey

Turkey

June 12, 2026

Ankara 6:43 pm

27°C

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Ankara says a defense deal between France and the Republic of Cyprus risks upsetting the island’s delicate balance, as defense ties among Cyprus, Greece, Israel and France deepen.

Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile launching system is displayed at the exposition field in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow on Aug. 22, 2017 during the first day of the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2017.

Analysis

As Trump admin drops Halkbank case, S-400 last big hurdle in US-Turkey ties

The move eases a key source of friction with Turkey ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Explainer

Turkey-Israel tensions flare over Syria, Lebanon, East Med: What to know

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan buttons up his jacket during a press conference after the conclusion of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on November 23, 2025.

Explainer

Turkey names new envoys to Iran, Oman, Qatar in regional reshuffle

Aamir QURESHI / AFP via Getty Images

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

Turkey's central bank governor Murat Cetinkaya speaks during a news conference in Istanbul, Turkey, October 27, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - D1BEUJJAJKAD

Ankara goes on risky quest to cut interest rates

Bent on lowering interest rates, Turkey’s president took the extreme step of ousting the central bank governor, but his insistence on rate cuts is fraught with risks that could fan fresh economic turmoil.

Turkish soldiers stand on a watch tower 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 - RC1525F30880

Turkish-US talks on northern Syria stall as S-400 crisis peaks

US envoy for Syria Jim Jeffrey tells the German Marshall Fund that a residual force of US troops will be staying in northeastern Syria for an "indeterminate time"; this decision appears to have been made in part to protect the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units from Turkey.

Turkey's favorite TV cop returns, but not to Turkish channels

The renegade Behzat C was Turkey's favorite cop for half a decade. Now he's back, just not on Turkish TV.

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan arrives for a G-20 finance ministers meeting during the World Bank/IMF annual meetings in Washington October 10, 2014. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - GM1EAAB05L201

Former economy czar’s resignation from Turkey’s ruling AKP sparks talk of rival party

Ali Babacan resigned from Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, unleashing a fresh wave of speculation that he might form a rival center-right party.

All is fair to sustain Erdogan’s reign

In a tightly controlled media environment where any critical voice is promptly labeled as terrorist, how did a notorious PKK member on the most wanted list appear as a guest on Turkish state TV?

Turkish drilling vessel Yavuz sets sail in Izmit Bay, on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, off the port of Dilovasi, Turkey, June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC17D18454C0

Eastern Mediterranean crisis balloons as Turkish drill ships multiply

Disputes over oil and gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean have caused a spike in tensions between Ankara and Turkish Cypriots on the one side, and the EU and Greek Cypriots on the other.

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest against the arrest of three prominent activists for press freedom, in central Istanbul,Turkey, June 21, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - S1AETLFKIGAA

Pro-state think tank targets foreign media in Turkey

A pro-state think tank accused foreign news services of “bias,” raising fears of a renewed wave of media repression in the country.

A view shows a new S-400 "Triumph" surface-to-air missile system after its deployment at a military base outside the town of Gvardeysk near Kaliningrad, Russia March 11, 2019. Picture taken March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Vitaly Nevar - RC179E3FA920

Where will the S-400s be deployed?

Russian-made S-400 batteries are expected to arrive in Turkey before the end of July and be deployed in Ankara.

U.S. President Donald Trump, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are seen at the start of the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium July 11, 2018. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause - RC1C67E741D0

Pleasantries aside, can Trump deliver what Erdogan wants?

Turkey expects President Donald Trump to help it avoid US sanctions over the S-400 affair, but many in Turkey question whether Trump has that power.

Russian S-400 Triumph/SA-21 Growler medium-range and long-range surface-to-air missile systems drive during the Victory Day parade at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015. Russia marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe on Saturday with a military parade, showcasing new military hardware at a time when relations with the West have hit lows not seen since the Cold War. REUTERS/Host Photo Agency/RIA Novosti ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS D

Intel: Why Washington still hasn’t sanctioned Turkey over Russian missile purchase

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that Turkey will receive the first shipment of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia next week.

Despite Trump's gushing at G-20, Ankara, Washington still on collision course

US President Donald Trump’s fawning over his Turkish counterpart at the Osaka summit carried little real meaning, and a Turkey-US collision is still very possible.

Mansur Yavas, mayoral candidate of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and his wife Nursen Yavas, leave a polling station after casting votes during the municipal elections in Ankara, Turkey, March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1BCB6685D0

New Turkish mayors weaponize transparency against wasteful spending

Turkey’s new mayors are using transparency efforts to undermine AKP-majority governing bodies while protecting their work from obstruction.