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

Turkey

Turkey

September 6, 2026

Ankara 8:01 am

21°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

A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter watches a convoy of his forces advancing in the north of Raqqa city, Syria February 5, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX2ZOUT

How close are we to a solution in Syria?

As the Syrian Democratic Forces launch a new phase in the operation to liberate the city of Raqqa from Islamic State control, many questions remain about the military and political situation on the ground.

Mike Pompeo waits to be sworn in as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, U.S. January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTSX1LZ

All eyes on Pompeo as CIA chief arrives in Ankara

Though Turkish hopes for a closer US alliance are soaring as CIA Director Mike Pompeo meets with top Ankara officials, it's unlikely that the US administration will agree to weaken its ties to the Kurdish groups it depends on badly in Syria.

Police secure an area near an Istanbul nightclub, following a gun attack, Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTX2X3VE

Turkey steps up action against Salafi networks

Turkey has substantially increased operations against Salafi-jihadi groups in 2017, but Ankara’s real problem is deciding whether to keep them under control or eradicate them.

Turkey's Finance Minister Naci Agbal speaks during an interview with Reuters in Ankara, Turkey, September 27, 2016. Picture taken September 27, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSPSH5

Turkey’s wealth fund is less about wealth and more about debt

Turkey’s newly established sovereign wealth fund is expected to throw life preservers to companies involved in the government’s “mega-projects” and primarily owned by AKP cronies.

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order to impose tighter vetting of travelers entering the United States, at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., January 27, 2017. The executive order signed by Trump imposes a four-month travel ban on refugees entering the United States and a 90-day hold on travelers from Syria, Iran and five other Muslim-majority countries. Picture taken January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTSXWM6

Trump urged to name religious freedom envoy to smooth out bumpy Mideast policy

Former ambassadors say Donald Trump is in dire need of an expert to "school" him on Islam.

Why Turkey’s approach to Syria may again push it to sidelines

Diplomats fear that Ankara may have decided to play a reactive and obstructive role in the Syrian peace talks, rather than a positive and proactive one.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - DECEMBER 12: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits the blast site outside the Besiktas FC's Vodafone Arena Stadium on December 12, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. At least 44 people were killed and 160 other wounded in twin explosions outside Vodafone Arena Stadium and in nearby Macka Park a few hours after the night's soccer match on 10 December. The bombs apparently targeted police officers who were securing the match. The Kurdish nationalist group Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), which

Trump, Erdogan discuss Syria cooperation in first presidential call

In their first call since Donald Trump became president, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pushed for an end to the US alliance with the Kurdish People's Protection Units.

Selahattin Demirtas, co-leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), talks during a gathering to protest against the arrest of the city's two joint mayors on terrorism charges, in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, October 30, 2016. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RTX2R1KM

Turkey’s top Kurdish politician faces up to 143 years in jail

The leader of Turkey’s main Kurdish party faces up to 143 years in jail on terror-related charges and is languishing in jail as the country heads to a fateful referendum.

Dancers from the Ahli Club for Circassian Dance perform at the Southern theatre during the Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts in the ancient city of Jerash, north of Amman, Jordan, July 26, 2016. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RTSJSOA

How Circassians maintain identity in changing Golan

Many Circassians who lost their homes in Quneitra, Syria, opened their doors to Al-Monitor at nearby Madinat al-Baath, where they recounted their stories.

Turkey's Finance Minister Naci Agbal speaks during an interview with Reuters in Ankara, Turkey, September 27, 2016. Picture taken September 27, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSPSH4

Ankara shifts public assets to sovereign wealth fund

In a move critics say is financially risky and intended to concentrate money into corrupt hands, the Turkish government has created a sovereign wealth fund to finance its infrastructural projects as the lira falls.

How embracing 'Ottomania' may backfire on Turkey's ruling party

As the April referendum approaches, the pro-Erdogan camp’s calculation to benefit from the Ottoman dream is shattered with a member of the dynasty demanding reparations and the throne.

Ottoman princess stumps for Erdogan

Support for the constitutional amendment meant to clear Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s path to an executive presidency is weakening in the polls, and the descendant of an Ottoman emperor is helping finesse nostalgia for the empire's glory days.