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

Turkey

Turkey

July 17, 2026

Ankara 10:29 pm

24°C

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 22: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) sits in between Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan (L) and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev during a signing ceremony for the “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 22, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. The US-backed “Board of Peace” is intended to administer the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after the war between Israel and Hamas. The final makeup of the board has not been confirmed. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/G

Trump taps Russia-born investor to oversee $200M+ fund backing Armenia-Azerbaijan corridor

The appointment of Chicago-based investor Konstantin Sokolov to oversee a $200 million fund marks a new phase for Washington's proposed trade and transportation route linking Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey.

Ozgu Ozel

Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel could launch new party by August

Ozgur Ozel’s remarks on a potential new party came as the legal crackdown on the main opposition widened further this week with the arrest and suspension of the mayor of Cankaya, one of the party’s most secure and symbolically important strongholds in the heart of Ankara.

Latest News

Russian couple faces deportation from Turkey after Bible reading at Hagia Sophia

Visitors stand inside Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul on April 14, 2025.

Turkey, Egypt expand military ties with cooperation frameworks: What to know

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and his Egyptian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher, met at the Turkey’s Defense Ministry in Ankara, July 13, 2026.

Analysis

From S-400s to SAMP/T: Turkey’s defense pivot gathers pace after NATO summit

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose after signing a defense partnership agreement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

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

A member of the Free police, wearing a Turkish flag on his hat, attends a ceremony celebrating the inauguration of the "Free Police" in the Syrian border town of Jarablus January 24, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTSX6LE

Free Syrian Army getting backup from Turkish-trained police

Turkey is shoring up the FSA's — and perhaps Ankara's — clout in Syria by providing newly schooled policemen to Aleppo province.

Rebel fighters stand amidst rubble at the entrance to a tunnel they said belonged to Islamic State fighters which connects the city to Aqeel mountain, in the northern Syrian city of al-Bab, Syria March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX30UPT

Are Ankara’s prospects in Syria dimming?

Turkey is hemmed in by the United States and Russia in Syria, unable to achieve its aim of blocking Kurdish gains.

Patriarch election saga drags on for Turkey's Armenians

Turkey’s Armenian community has remained without an active patriarch for years as Ankara uses a legal vacuum to interfere in its religious affairs.

People gesture during a gathering celebrating Newroz, which marks the arrival of spring and the new year, in the Kurdish-dominated southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, March 21, 2017. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RTX320QD

On Nowruz, massive pro-Kurdish rallies flood Turkey's Diyarbakir

Despite the wide repression their politicians have faced, Turkey's Kurds seem unintimidated as thousands gathered in Diyarbakir to celebrate Nowruz and raise their voices in defiance.

A woman reacts as she attends the Democracy and Martyrs Rally, organized by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and supported by ruling AK Party (AKP), oppositions Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), to protest against last month's failed military coup attempt, in Istanbul, Turkey, August 7, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTSLJVF

European court ruling on headscarves sparks ire in Ankara

Turkey to provide legal assistance to women affected by a European ruling that allows companies to ban employees from wearing headscarves.

White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn (C) arrives prior to a joint news conference between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTSYJDE

Flynn affair exposes Turkey's 'sloppy' PR efforts

Though the pro-government Turkish media continues to studiously ignore the affair, the US media is busy probing former national security adviser Michael Flynn's ties to a Turkish businessman who hired him to lobby for Ankara.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 10, 2017. REUTERS/Zemlianichenko/Pool - RTS12A4O

Who really benefits from Turkey-Russia joint fund?

A Turkish construction company, which runs major operations in Russia and was the builder of Erdogan’s controversial palace, figures prominently in a deal to create a joint investment fund between the two countries.

A view shows the eastern entrance to the town of Tel Abyad of Raqqa governorate June 15, 2015. Kurdish-led militia backed by U.S.-led air strikes fought Islamic State near a Syrian town at the Turkish border on Sunday, a monitoring group and a Kurdish official said, in an advance that has worried Turkey. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX1GJ57

Turkey still determined to play role in final Raqqa assault

Will a Turkish-sponsored army of 50 Arab tribes actually materialize in Syria, or is Turkey just rattling its saber regarding the Raqqa offensive?

Are Turkey's big businesses breaking with AKP?

A businesses' commercial to celebrate International Women’s Day may be a troubling sign for the AKP and the upcoming constitutional referendum.

Israeli soldiers evacuate their comrade, playing the role of an injured person, as they drive past a Hezbollah flag during a combined forces drill in Shizafon military base, near Eilat in southern Israel June 7, 2016. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTSGDEV

Israel weighs response to Hezbollah rocket threat

For now, deterrence holds on Israel’s northern border; Iran ready to "fight to the last man" in Syria; Why does Erdogan go easy on Putin over Syrian Kurds?

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson walks to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, prior to their meeting at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan March 16, 2017. REUTERS/Eugene Hoshiko/Pool - RTX318XX

Tillerson to woo Turkey during Ankara visit

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is set to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a visit to Ankara later this month, as tensions between their two countries persist over US support for Kurdish-dominated groups in Syria.

People shout slogans during a protest in front of the Dutch Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, March 12, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTX30O56

Calculated tension: Turkey talks big to Europe but holds back from economic steps

Turkey’s flare-up with the Netherlands and Germany appears to be a policy of calculated tensions, aimed at maximum political gains with minimum damage ahead of a critical referendum in April.