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

Turkey

Turkey

July 17, 2026

Ankara 11:13 pm

23°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.

Latest News

Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel could launch new party by August

Ozgu Ozel

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.

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

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.

Turkish soldiers accused of attempting to assassinate President Tayyip Erdogan on the night of the failed last year's July 15 coup, are escorted by gendarmes as they arrive for the first hearing of the trial in Mugla, Turkey, February 20, 2017. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz - RTSZGNP

Indictment reveals Turkey coup timeline, but mysteries remain

A mountainous indictment in Turkey's coup attempt case leaves a lot to the imagination despite its heft.

A general view of Nizip refugee camp, near the Turkish-Syrian border in Gaziantep province, Turkey, November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSU1Q4

Congress wants answers from Turkey on shutdown of US aid pipeline to Syria

Senate Democrats are warning Ankara not to take out its anger over US aid to Kurds on Mercy Corps.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.
Motorists travel on a highway in Tehran as the city is covered in dust July 6, 2009. The government closed private educational centres, state offices, industrial units and military bases for two days and raised its pollution alert status due to the dust, which an official from Tehran's environment office attributed the source to dust from dried marshland in Iraq blown towar

Why dust storms still suffocate Iran’s Khuzestan province

The administration of President Hassan Rouhani has declared that it has made great strides in combating dust storms and pollution in Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan, but the region appears to still be in the grip of recurring environmental crises.

Holstein cows stand in a field at a farm near Nairn in northern Scotland August 4, 2010. Britain's food watchdog said it had found that meat from the offspring of a cloned cow had entered the UK food chain and had been eaten, stirring controversy over whether such products are ethical. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said that under European rules, suppliers are supposed to obtain a licence before selling products from cloned animals but added there was no suggestion they posed any health danger to consumer

Turkey deports Dutch cows

While 40 Dutch cows have been expelled by Turkey and are on their way to the Netherlands, Turkish hackers attacked the Twitter accounts of international organizations and celebrities.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a news conference after the talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 10, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Ilnitsky/Pool - RTS12BWW

Erdogan slams Dutch over Srebrenica as diplomatic row intensifies

The diplomatic crisis between Turkey and the Netherlands shows no signs of letting up, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatening the Netherlands with sanctions and reporting it to the European Court of Human Rights.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Pavel Golovkin/Pool - RTS124IG

Whose ears burn most when Russia, Israel meet?

Moscow has been hosting an array of dignitaries recently, leaving observers to speculate on the possible topics of conversation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan attend a news conference after the talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 10, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Ilnitsky/Pool - RTS12BZC

The limits to Ankara’s reliance on Moscow

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Moscow visit last week enabled Ankara to show Europe it has alternatives, but thorns continue to exist in the side of Turkish-Russian ties.

A large image of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan placed outside the Turkish consulate during protests in Rotterdam, Netherlands March 11, 2017. REUTERS/YDylan Martinez - RTX30MGU

How conflict with the West empowers Erdogan

How did the West so firmly become the main enemy for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his supporters?

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shake hands following a joint press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Ankara on August 12, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Why Iran-Turkey tension won’t spiral out of control

Despite the increasing verbal confrontations between Iran and Turkey, tension between the neighbors is unlikely to spiral out of control.

Demonstrators with banners of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gather outsidethe Turkish consulate to welcome the Turkish Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, who decided to travel to Rotterdam by land after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's flight was barred from landing by the Dutch government, in Rotterdam, Netherlands March 11, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman - RTX30MBC

Will Turks in Europe bear brunt of Erdogan's outbursts?

While the Netherlands is Turkey's latest target of tough rhetoric, the millions of ethnic Turks in Europe could face a future that is uncertain and more difficult than it already is for them right now.

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 - RTS12ACJ

How 'complete' is normalization between Russia, Turkey?

Russia and Turkey recently agreed to cooperate in several significant areas, but there's still some question about how far their friendship extends.