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

Turkey

Turkey

May 7, 2026

Ankara 1:09 pm

17°C

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Ankara comes amid rapidly expanding Turkish-Saudi coordination as the fallout from the Iran war reshapes Gulf security dynamics.

A picture taken near Kars on Feb. 28, 2024 shows the ruins of a bridge over Arpacay river, the natural border between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkey, Armenia agree to restore medieval bridge in normalization push

Ankara is pursuing normalization with Armenia ahead of June parliamentary elections in a thaw also positioned to advance its broader Middle Corridor ambitions.

Sabah Fidan

Turkey hosts Kuwaiti FM as UAE's OAPEC exit fuels Gulf rift

Kuwait's top diplomat visited Turkey as the Gulf rift deepens following the UAE’s exit from OPEC and its affiliated alliances, forcing Ankara to balance ties between Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

Latest News

Analysis

Iraq’s Zaidi offers economic promise for Turkey but unknowns loom

Zaidi

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know

Members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), from the British Army's 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, No. 2 Company, patrol along the buffer zone separating the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the divided capital Nicosia on Feb. 17, 2026.

Turkey advances gas pipeline plan to northern Cyprus as East Med rivalry grows

This aerial photograph shows Turkey's first floating natural gas production platform, "Osman Gazi," passing through the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, on May 29, 2025.

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

Turkish economy just as volatile after elections

Despite expectations, Turkey’s June 24 elections have failed to reduce uncertainties in the economy, raising the specter of austerity measures with hefty political costs.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY: Convicted Turkish mafia boss Alaattin Cakici (L), escorted by anti-terror police, arrives at Istanbul criminal court, 14 October 2004. Cakici was extradited from Austria where he was arrested in July after fleeing Turkey and faces a series of charges, including murder, media reports said. AFP PHOTO/Mustafa Ozer (Photo credit should read MUSTAFA OZER/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish underworld joins war on journalists

Turkey's beleaguered press corps is now facing threats from the Turkish mafia, and the staff of a mildly oppositionist newspaper is under police protection.

How long can Erdogan’s alliance survive?

Despite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s re-election last week, his party’s failure to secure an absolute majority in parliament has complicated the picture, leading many to believe that Erdogan would look for ways to achieve full control of the legislature.

A pedestrian lights a cigarette as he walks past in banners with portraits of Turrkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and the leader of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Devlet Bahceli in Istanbul on June 19, 2018. - Turkey is preparing for tight presidential and parliamentary elections on June 24, while many analysts say President Erdogan wants a major foreign policy success to give him a final boost. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo credit should read ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images)

More of the same? Erdogan rule to replace emergency rule in Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will reportedly not extend Turkey's state of emergency, in place since the 2016 coup, when it expires, but critics warn Erdogan has just gained many of the powers it afforded him.

Devlet Bahceli, leader of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), addresses his supporters during an election rally in Ankara, Turkey June 23, 2018. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov - RC144FF5C390

Why ultra-nationalists exceeded expectations in Turkey's elections

The higher-than-expected vote share of the ultra-nationalists in Turkey's recent elections surprised many, but in hindsight and upon closer examination, its causes are not so puzzling.

Palestinian supporters of the Hamas movement hold portraits of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as they shout slogans against the military coup attempt in Turkey, during a demonstration in Gaza City, on July 16, 2016.
Erdogan battled to regain control over Turkey on July 16, 2016 after a coup bid by discontented soldiers, as signs grew that the most serious challenge to his 13 years of dominant rule was faltering. After a night of drama and bloodshed, at least 90 people had died and more than 1,150 pe

Palestinians applaud Erdogan win, pin hopes on Turkey

Palestinians hope Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will cut ties with Israel and focus even more on their cause.

Turkey's Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci speaks during an interview with Reuters in Ankara, Turkey, June 7, 2016. To match Interview TURKEY-ECONOMY/MINISTER REUTERS/Umit Bektas - D1AETIRNZCAB

Ankara vows to ignore Iran sanctions

Turkey and the United States are entering a new stage of strained relations as newly re-elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, flush with power, disregards renewed sanctions on Iran.

Muharrem Ince, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), addresses his supporters during an election rally in Istanbul, Turkey June 23, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC1C225D63F0

Turkish opposition fails miserably in critical election test

Turkey’s June 24 elections will likely have significant and lasting effects on the future of the opposition.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin meets at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - UP1EE431A7CYB

Russia welcomes Erdogan’s re-election

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's re-election was seen in Russia as a sign that Ankara would maintain its current policies in Syria and perhaps diverge further from Washington.

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu attends a news conference in Ankara, Turkey June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1879C94940

Turkish opposition's unity crumbles as electoral slogans fade

With the elections over, Turkey’s opposition factions are back to fighting among themselves, this time for the leadership of the Republican People’s Party, as calls come in for Kemal Kilicdaroglu to resign.

A picture taken on March 20, 2018 shows a view of the dried-up shore of an irrigation canal near the village of Sayyed Dakhil, to the east of Nasariyah city some 300 kilometres (180 miles) south of Baghdad. - Farmers in Sayyed Dakhil have traditionally lived off their land where there used to be no need for wells, but a creeping drought is now threatening agriculture and livelihoods in the area.
Weather patterns are largely to blame for the crisis, but while rain accounts for 30 percent of Iraq's water reso

Turkey, Iraq trade blame as concern rises over low water

Iraq points to Turkey's Ilisu Dam as the cause of its water crisis, but Ankara says Baghdad needs to manage its resources more efficiently.

Istanbul exhibit casts light on Ottoman photography

An Istanbul exhibit looks at the photographic albums that Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid sent to German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in an effort to entice Germany to invest in Anatolian railways.