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

Turkey

Turkey

April 21, 2026

Ankara 12:52 am

7°C

Members of Iraq's security forces stand guard on the the al-Rabia border crossing with Syria on April 20, 2026.

How Syria's border opening with Iraq redefines Turkey-Kurd balance

After years of closure, the reopening of al-Yaaroubiya crossing is redrawing Kurdish economic leverage and reinforcing Turkey’s regional strategy.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shake hands during the press conference following their meeting at Villa Doria Pamphilj, on April 29, 2025, in Rome, Italy.

Analysis

Italy’s TB3 drone deal signals turn toward Turkey amid US-NATO tensions

Italy’s expected TB3 drone purchase highlights a rapidly deepening, interest-driven alignment with Turkey on defense and geopolitics.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Analysis

Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?

Kurdish people waving Kurdistan flags gather to celebrate Nowruz on the hill of Urkesh in the countryside of Amuda in northeastern Syria on March 18, 2026. Nowruz, meaning "new day," is an ancient festival that marks the start of spring and the new year on the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20 or 21. It is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide and has been observed for over 3,000 years across regions including the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Eastern Euro

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

At least 9 killed in Turkey’s second school shooting in 24 hours

YASIN AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Inside Turkey’s role in the US-Iran ceasefire

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) walks with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif upon his arrival during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on June 1, 2022. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Ground crew unload weapons and other military hardware delivered by the US military at Boryspil International Airport, Boryspil, Ukraine, Jan. 25, 2022.

Turkish military cargo planes stranded in Ukraine return to Turkey

Turkish military planes that were stranded at a Kyiv airport after the Russian invasion of Ukraine have returned to Turkey.

Bulent Kenes

Turkey blasts Swedish extradition refusal as 'very unfavorable'

Turkey has lashed out at Sweden over a court ruling against the extradition of a journalist sought by Ankara.

Turkish exiled journalist Bulent Kenes poses for a photographer in Stockholm, Sweden on Dec. 19, 2022.

Sweden’s top court blocks extradition of journalist sought by Turkey

Though Ankara has an ever-growing list of extradition demands for Sweden, journalist Bulent Kenes was the only one explicitly named as a condition for Turkey’s ratification of the NATO’s Nordic expansion.

People gather near the site of an explosion that hit the police headquarters the day before in the Kurdish majority city of Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, April 12, 2017.

Turkey blames Kurdish militants over car bomb attack wounding nine

Turkey's interior minister has blamed the outlawed Kurdish militants over the roadside bomb attack in the Kurdish-majority southeast.

Erdogan rally

Turkey’s economic growth loses steam as elections near

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has persistently prioritized economic growth but might face the risk of stagnation ahead of Turkey's crucial elections next year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders' summit in Samarkand on September 16, 2022. (Photo by ALEXANDR DEMYANCHUK/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey's Erdogan seeking a meeting with Assad and Putin

In a reversal, Erdogan wants Russia to set-up a three-way meeting with Bashar Al-Assad, ten years after Ankara calling for his removal from power

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish mayor's conviction unites opposition, but challenger to Erdogan unclear

Turkey's opposition leaders are rallying around the case of Ekrem Imamoglu, whose conviction seems to have kicked off the campaign for next year’s elections.

This picture shows an official yellow taxi and a van vehicle driven on the Galata Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, March 30, 2018.

US Embassy in Turkey clarifies car crash involving mission community member

The embassy has clarified reports over an individual who crashed his car in Istanbul while he was reportedly driving under influence of alcohol.

A Turkey-backed Syrian fighter sits at a position on the outskirts of the town of Marea.

US, Russia stall Turkey's ground operation, but Kurdish gains under threat

The Russian and US policies of appeasing Turkey have averted a new Turkish ground operation in Syria for now, but they both lay the ground for a gradual undoing of Kurdish gains in the north.

A still from the Turkish film "Burning Days."

Culture

Turkey's government wants refund for movie following LGBTQ controversy

The move is widely seen as a fresh episode of the culture war the government has been waging against the country’s artistic scene over critical opinions and queer content.

A man walks past the World Bank building in Washington on April 21, 2022.

World Bank says debt increasing in Middle East countries

Egypt, Iran and Turkey’s debt rose significantly last year.

Mayor of Istanbul metropolitan municipality Ekrem Imamoglu speaks during an interview to AFP on April 2, 2020 in Istanbul, amid the spread of the epidemic COVID-19 coronavirus. - Istanbul's opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Thursday called for more robust action and a lockdown after Turkey's largest city reported the highest number of cases in the country. Without a strict lockdown, Imamoglu warned, even if 15 percent of the residents in Istanbul would move around rather than stay home, that would represen

Turkish court sentences opposition leader to jail, political ban

As Turkey heads for a tight election, an Istanbul court has sentenced Ekrem Imamoglu, seen by some as the man who could unseat Erdogan, to two years and seven months in prison for insulting a public officer.