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

Turkey

Turkey

September 16, 2026

Ankara 4:55 pm

23°C

People swim next to the Russian-flagged cargo ship OMSKIY-107, which was attacked off the Black Sea coast and eventually ran aground off the shore of the Sile district, Istanbul, Sept. 3, 2026.

Why Turkey has few options to protect Black Sea shipping

The Russia-Ukraine drone war is hitting Turkish commercial interests, exposing the limits of Ankara’s ability to protect shipping while remaining outside the conflict.

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities gather during a rally to recruit more fighters in Sanaa on Sept. 10, 2026.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia's Houthi crisis tests alliances with Trump, Turkey and Pakistan

As the Houthis tighten their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb, Saudi Arabia is turning to new regional alliances while Washington resists calls to intervene.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Turkey’s defense giants court Egypt at Alamein Airshow: What to know

El Alamein International Airshow

Russia to give Turkey preferential fertilizer access amid Hormuz supply crunch

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek on September 1, 2026. (Photo by Kristina Solovyova / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Turkish ceramicist Leyla Borovali shapes Aegean heritage into clay

Leyla Borovali at her studio overlooking the Aegean

Analysis

With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones

TAI Hurjet

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

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.

Turkey ship

Turkey, insurers reach deal to end oil tanker logjam

Ankara’s standoff with international insurers, which has created a line of crude oil tankers near the Turkish straits, ends with agreed wording on an insurance letter demanded by Turkey.

The Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on August 9, 2022 before it leaves for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, in south of the city of Gazipasa. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Erdogan touts potential gas deal ahead of Turkmenistan summit

At Wednesday's summit in Turkmenistan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is eyeing a gas deal that would extend into Europe.

US investment Middle East

How the US invests in the Middle East

In our latest PRO Trend Report, we take a deep-dive into American investment in the region and opportunities to expand it.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint press conference with Cuban President in Ankara, on November 23, 2022. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Greece compares Turkey to North Korea in latest row with Erdogan

Erdogan’s remarks raise stakes in rivalry between fellow NATO members as threatening rhetoric escalates.