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

Turkey

Turkey

September 1, 2026

Ankara 8:44 pm

27°C

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.

Mecca Alliance

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan set Mecca Alliance into motion

The three countries are moving to formalize military coordination under the newly named Mecca Alliance amid renewed hostilities between Iran and the US.

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.

Analysis

Why Turkey welcomes Israel-Syria talks despite mounting red lines

Turkey supports US-backed Israel-Syria talks but sees little prospect of a lasting accommodation until the Israeli elections.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Barcelona

Culture

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

A planned Barca Academy camp in northern Cyprus has offered more fuel to the controversy over the island’s unresolved divide, rasing tensions over recognition, access and international isolation.

Latest News

Top European court says Kavala case exposes erosion of judicial independence in Turkey

Omer Messinger/Getty Images

Explainer

Turkey’s Kurdish peace process moves to implementation: What to know and what’s next

Equality and Democracy Party lawmakers

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

Iraqi officials stress need to boost Arab ties while balancing relations with Iran

Iraqi officials and their Arab counterparts at the 2019 Sulaimaniyah Forum called for turning toward other Arab states while balancing relations with Tehran.

Is Ankara’s religious education drive stumbling?

Despite Ankara’s unrelenting drive to expand religious education, enrollment in religious schools has remained below the government’s targets.

Turkey’s WomanTV offers new voice on women’s issues

A new TV station is taking on femicide, glass ceilings and violence, as well as sharing success stories of women in Turkey.

A money changer counts Turkish lira banknotes at a currency exchange office in Istanbul, Turkey August 13, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC139D2160B0

Turkish economy faces grim outlook for 2019

THE OECD forecasts that the Turkish economy, after contracting this year, should grow again next year; Erdogan goes after former presidential candidate Meral Aksener.

The Rabia sign is projected on the Egyptian Consulate during a protest against an Egyptian court's decision to sentence deposed President Mohamed Mursi to death, in Istanbul, Turkey, late June 16, 2015. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - GF10000129868

Mired in recriminations, Turkish-Egyptian ties remain stagnant

Prospects for improved relations between Ankara and Cairo appear dimmer than ever following recent executions in Egypt.

German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel walks through a plane as he is flanked by a group of people at Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir - UP1EE2G1ER906

Turkey becoming minefield for foreign journalists

Three foreign reporters in Turkey have seen their accreditations terminated, while the renewal applications of 50 others remain unanswered since December, fueling concern that Ankara is seeking to drive the foreign media out.

Russian S-400 air defence mobile missile launching systems take part in a military parade during celebrations marking Independence Day in Minsk July 3, 2014. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko (BELARUS - Tags: ANNIVERSARY POLITICS MILITARY) - GM1EA740JRH01

Turkey dismisses US threat about buying Russian S-400 air defense system

Turkey does not appear to be budging from its purchase of S-400 air-defense missiles from Russia despite US threats to cancel delivery of F-35 jets Turkey has ordered.

Turkish air force patrollers fly by as Turkish soldiers take photos with their mobile phones during a ceremony celebrating the 96th anniversary of Anzac Day in Canakkale on April 24, 2011. A dawn ceremony on April 25 marks the time of the first landings of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at the Gallipoli peninsula in the ill-fated Allied campaign to take the Dardanelles Strait from the Ottoman Empire. In the ensuing eight months of fighting, about 11,500 ANZAC troops were killed, fighting

Cyberization means it's not your daddy's war anymore

New technology is infiltrating the old conflict between Turkey and outlawed Kurdish militants, and soldiers may have to sacrifice their smartphones for safety.

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

Turks fire back as Trump ends preferential trade status

The United States removed Turkey from its list of countries that enjoy tariff-free access to the US market, a decision criticized by the Turkish government.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan attends the official opening ceremony of Istanbul's new airport, in Istanbul, Turkey, October 29, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC183844E020

Is Erdogan's airport dream turning into nightmare?

The Istanbul New Airport's current and projected damage to ecosystems, its subpar construction and its woeful financial setup is turning the project into a grandiose failure — one that will cost the Turkish public dearly for decades to come.

Turkish forces patrol an area in Afrin, Syria March 22, 2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi - RC19CBF8C260

Turkey faces growing Kurdish insurgency in Syria's Afrin

An investigative journalism site reports that hundreds of violent attacks claimed by several anti-Free Syrian Army groups in Afrin mirror the modus operandi of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Egypt, Turkey vying for clout

Turkey has loudly criticized the Egyptian regime, pointing to a growing competition between the two countries for prominence.