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

Turkey

Turkey

September 5, 2026

Ankara 5:58 pm

29°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

Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul is seen with Saadet Party leader Temel Karamollaoglu during a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey April 24, 2018. Picture taken April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir - RC1A875ACB30

3 reasons Turkey's ex-president never had chance at re-election

The opposition to former President Abdullah Gul’s candidacy shows a despairing, fractured opposition ahead of Turkey's snap elections.

A money changer counts Turkish lira bills at an currency exchange office in central Istanbul, Turkey, August 21, 2015. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo - S1BETTHGKMAB

How Turkey's 'doping-induced' growth backfired into hasty elections

The Turkish government’s rush to hold elections in June is driven by economic woes that even its attempts at "doping-induced" growth have failed to overcome.

Turks mark May Day far from traditional rallying site

The Turkish authorities have arrested dozens of protesters for violating a ban on May 1 demonstrations at Istanbul’s Taksim Square.

(From L) Turkey's Foreign Affairs minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sit at the opening of a Foreign ministers meeting at the Nato headquarters in Brussels on April 27 2018. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Pompeo's meeting with Turkish FM fails to calm tensions

Mike Pompeo's first meeting as secretary of state with his Turkish counterpart failed to bring a breakthrough in Ankara-Washington ties, as the Syrian city of Manbij remains a potential flashpoint in relations between Turkey and the United States.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (2nd R), Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R), former President Abdullah Gul (4th R) and Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar (2nd L) attend the funeral of Fehmi Sahin and Ali Koc, two of the 14 police officers who were killed during Tuesday's bombing in Igdir province in eastern Turkey, at Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara, Turkey, September 9, 2015. Daily clashes between Kurdish militants and security forces in southeast Turkey have cast doubt on whether a credible election can be he

Did Erdogan's men ask ex-president not to run?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his top brass have not denied reports that he sent his spokesman and the chief of general staff to talk former President Abdullah Gul out of running in the upcoming presidential race.

Turkey's university faculties unite against being divided

Turkish academia is in upheaval following the government’s decision to split up 13 major universities to form new ones, while university departments say that the proposal is fueled by ulterior motives and that resources are already spread too thin.

Iran, Russia, Turkey close ranks on Syria coordination amid US pressure

Moscow and its partners in Tehran and Ankara move to strengthen coordination on Syria as the Trump administration signals an intention to up the stakes.

Meral Aksener, the leader of the Iyi Party, speaks during a news conference at her party headquaters in Ankara, Turkey April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC13C89C3680

Turkey’s lone 'she-wolf' leaves opposition fractured

Turkey’s Good Party leader Meral Aksener has inspired hope among many that she could beat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the June polls, but others fear she's standing in the way of a united opposition challenge.

Turkey still working to get Altay tanks rolling

After 12 years, things are finally falling into place for Turkey's indigenous Altay tank, but it can't get far without an engine.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference to present the outcome of the G20 leaders summit in Hamburg, Germany July 8, 2017. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt - RC1365923270

Is Erdogan’s re-election a foregone conclusion?

Kurdish sources say that if the presidential election goes to a second round, Kurds would not vote for Good Party leader Meral Aksener but certainly would vote for former President Abdullah Gul if he were on the ballot.

Turkey's incumbent President Abdullah Gul and his wife Hayrunnisa Gul talk to the media as they leave a polling station after casting their votes in Ankara August 10, 2014. Turks began voting on Sunday with Tayyip Erdogan poised to become the country's first elected president, fulfilling his dream of what he calls a "new Turkey" and his opponents say will be an increasingly authoritarian nation. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - GM1EA8A1K7X01

Turkish opposition dejected as ex-president shuns presidential race

Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul will not run in the swiftly approaching elections, and no other candidate stands much of a chance against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Women attend Friday prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the courtyard of Sultanahmet mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul July 12, 2013. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: RELIGION) - GM1E97C1OJG01

Turkish women demand safer, cleaner spaces in mosques

Observant Muslim women have won their struggle to access all public buildings in Turkey and will now take on the mosques.