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

Turkey

Turkey

July 3, 2026

Ankara 11:05 am

27°C

A screenshot of one of Deniz Goktas' standup routines posted to YouTube.

Culture

Turkish standup comic detained after act calling Erdogan 'dictator' goes viral

Comedian Deniz Goktas’ arrest comes as Ankara intensifies prosecutions against opposition figures, journalists, artists and critics ahead of a major NATO summit.

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Turkish jets strike al-Shabab targets in Somalia: What to know

A Somali Defense Ministry statement initially said Turkish F-16s carried out strikes on Al-Shabab targets before a later version referred only to “international partners.”

Syrian textile employees work in a textile workshop in Gaziantep, Turkey, on Jan. 30, 2025.

Explainer

Turkey eases job rules for 1M+ Syrians under temporary protection: What to know

The move, part of a broader easing of restrictions on Syrians living in Turkey, could allow roughly 1.1 million working-age Syrians to enter registered employment more easily as Ankara seeks to reduce informal labor and address workforce gaps.

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

Ankara accused Israel of weaponizing history as Armenia avoided public comment amid delicate regional diplomacy.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Turkey and Egypt are deepening military ties amid regional turmoil

From (L-R) Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attend a meeting in Cairo on June 21, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

Members of the Jerusalem Armenian community hold placards as they march during commemorations for the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem's Old City, April 24, 2009.

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

Newly appointed Treasury and Finance Minister Lutfi Elvan (L) speaks to media after attending a ceremony marking the 82th death anniversary of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk at the mausoleum in Ankara on November 10, 2020. - Turkey's lira surged to its biggest gain in two years on November 9, 2020, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powerful son-in-law quit as finance minister following the abrupt appointment of a new central bank chief. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Amid market tumult, Erdogan appoints new finance minister

Investors are watching for policy shifts as Turkey’s Former Deputy Prime Minister Lutfi Elvan takes the helm of the nation’s Finance Ministry following the surprise resignation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law Berat Albayrak.

Turkey's Erdogan finally congratulates Biden

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took more time than other regional leaders to congratulate Joe Biden on his projected victory in the US presidential elections. The two men have a complicated past.

A woman holds the national flag and a portrait of Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev as people celebrate in the streets of the capital Baku on November 10, 2020, after Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed a ceasefire following a string of Azeri victories in fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. - Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on a deal with Russia to end weeks of fierce clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh on November 10, 2020, after a string of Azerbaijani victories in its fight to retake the disputed re

Russia leaves little room for Turkey in Azeri-Armenian truce

The terms of the Russian-sponsored deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia speak of Moscow’s reluctance to let Turkey increase its influence in the region.

Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak addresses a press conference to announce his new economic policy and reforms in Istanbul on April 10, 2019. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Shakeup of economy team stuns Turkey, cheers investors

Presidential son-in-law Berat Albayrak has quit as finance minister amid economic turmoil, but most news outlets pretended it didn’t happen.

Biden's campaign showed what his Middle East policy may be as president

The former vice president criticized President Donald Trump's sanctions on Iran and also spoke out on Turkey's role in the Azerbaijan-Armenia war leading up to the Nov. 3 vote.

While America counts its votes, Erdogan advances his agenda

Can the next US president manage Erdogan’s ambition?

Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighters, mask-clad due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, take part in a military parade marking the graduation of a new batch of cadets and attended by officials from the Turkey-backed opposition in the town of Jindayris, in the Afrin region of the northern Syrian rebel-held province of Aleppo, on November 14, 2020. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP) (Photo by BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images)

As Turkey pounds northeast Syria, residents fear new operation

A year after Operation Peace Spring, the residents in the areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces fear a new Turkish operation.

Intel: Departure of foreign forces from Libya in question ahead of political talks in Tunis

An agreement between rival Libyan military representatives this week made no mention of the UN-backed cease-fire's demand that foreign mercenaries leave by January

An employee cleans an outside wall of the National Armenian Memorial Centre in Decines-Charpieu, near Lyon, on November 1, 2020 where pro-Turkish yellow letters graffiti tags have been painted overnight. - Inscriptions read "RTE" which can refers to Turkish Prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and "Grey Wolf" (Loup Gris), the name of an ultra-nationalist movement in Turkey. A nearby memorial for the Armenian genocide have also been tagged with the words "Fuck Armenia". (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP) (Photo by

Paris hints at new sanctions against Ankara after banning Turkish 'Grey Wolves'

France is considering new sanctions against Turkey over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's “declarations of violence” as tensions wind further between the NATO allies.

Are Turkey, Azerbaijan ready to talk peace with Armenia?

Although TRT momentarily reported that Azerbaijan had claimed it had emerged victorious in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, there seems to be a lot to still sort out before there can be a lasting cease-fire.

A man walks past an information screen displaying rates in front of an exchange office in Istanbul, on October 26, 2020 as Turkey's lira set a new record low against the US dollar. - Turkey's lira was trading at 8.03 against the dollar at around 0730 GMT, suffering a loss of nearly one percent since the beginning of the day. The Turkish currency also recorded its lowest level against the euro, trading near 9.52. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey’s business leaders keep quiet as economic crisis deepens

Wary of the government’s wrath, Turkey’s main business groups are staying mum in the face of growing economic turmoil while keeping tabs on the prospect of early elections.

In this picture taken on September 30, 2020 shows logos of social networking websites displayed on a mobile phone's screen in Istanbul. - Turkey on Thursday starts life under a new social media law that threatens to erase the local presence of Facebook and Twitter should they fail to take down contentious posts.The new legislation was pushed through by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AKP party and follows the government's crackdown on opposition newspapers and television channels. (Photo by Ozan KOS

Facebook, Twitter, other social media companies fined in Turkey

The Turkish government issued Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other major platforms fines of $1.18 million each for failing to comply with a new social media law.