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

Turkey

Turkey

July 25, 2026

Ankara 2:10 am

18°C

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) Ousted party leader Ozgur Ozel waves to supporters from atop a police water cannon vehicle after being forcibly evicted by police from his party’s headquarters on May 24, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

Top ally of Turkey’s Erdogan backs state funding for Ozel’s breakaway party

Devlet Bahceli’s suggestion exposes a more nuanced position within the country’s governing alliance over the ongoing legal crackdown against Turkey’s main opposition.

David's Sling.

Explainer

As Turkey rivalry heats up, Greece to acquire $4B Israeli air defense system

The Greek defense minister said that the air defense system will be operational within 35 months.

Latest News

Turkey to begin surveys for planned northern Cyprus gas pipeline

Turkey's servicemen stand at attention on a Turkish submarine as they participate in the live-fire phase of the Blue Homeland 2026 tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Iran's Araghchi reveals Turkey's role in thwarting Kurdish offensive

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart following a meeting in Baghdad on June 28, 2026.

Analysis

As Turkey eyes US naval revival, here is why big warship deals are unlikely

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey, greets Donald Trump, president of United States, during a welcome ceremony of allied heads of state and government, on July 8, 2026, in Ankara, Turkey.

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

CHP's rising Christian star subjected to hate speech

A newspaper's revelation about the Christian heritage of an opposition parliamentarian has created another rift in the ruling AKP and opened a dialogue on interfaith marriage.

Rebel fighters escort a Syrian Arab Red Crescent aid convoy heading towards the villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province, Syria February 17, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX27EF4

Will aid deliveries to Syria help advance peace talks?

The United States said it would meet with Russia in Geneva on Feb. 19 for consultations on how to implement a Syria truce, as the United Nations said Feb. 17 that it was able to deliver 100 trucks of humanitarian aid to five besieged Syrian towns.

Singer Justin Bieber performs on NBC's 'Today' show in New York November 18, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RTS7SU3

Can Bieber fever rescue Turkey's tourism trade?

Turkey's tourism business has checked out without paying its tab, and officials are considering enlisting US celebrities like Justin Bieber to help counteract the effects of terrorist attacks and Russian sanctions.

Why Turkey is losing hope in Syrian border town of Azaz

Turkey is engaged in two battles to keep the Azaz-Marea line open after losing the Aleppo corridor.

The fourth U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrives at the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada in this April 24, 2013 photo released on May 8, 2013. Picture taken April 24, 2013. Daniel Hughes/U.S. Air Force/Handout via Reuters (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY TRANSPORT) ATTENTION EDITORS - FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, A

Israeli air force debates purchase of F-35 fighter planes

As the Syrian, Lebanese and Turkish skies grow ever more crowded with Russian, American, British and Saudi fighter jets, Israel has decided to purchase more F-35s of its own.

Erdogan's AKP critics grow bolder

Critical voices are getting louder inside Turkey’s ruling party, but can the dissidents mount a real challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan?

Turkey ups the ante in Syria

Turkey's shelling of YPG positions in Syria is not only fueling animosity between Ankara and Moscow, but is also causing fresh tensions with the United States.

A woman casts her ballot at a polling station in Istanbul, Turkey November 1, 2015. Turks began voting on Sunday amid worsening security and economic worries in a snap parliamentary election that could profoundly impact the divided country's trajectory and that of President Tayyip Erdogan. The parliamentary poll is the second in five months, after the ruling AK Party founded by Erdogan failed to retain its single-party majority in June. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX1U7P0

Did EU meddle with Turkish elections?

The leaked minutes of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s meeting with top EU officials contain embarrassing gaffes by both sides.

A woman makes her way through the rubble of damaged buildings after airstrikes by pro-Syrian government forces in the rebel held town of Dael, in Deraa Governorate, Syria February 12, 2016. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Faqir - RTX26N2E

Turkey threatens fragile Syria peace accord

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the United States is responsible for "sea of blood" in Syria as Turkey attacks Syrian Kurds; Ankara and Riyadh raise specter of ground operations in Syria.

Turkish soldiers stand guard as a Syrian refugee boy waits behind the border fences to cross into Turkey on the Turkish-Syrian border, near the southeastern town of Akcakale in Sanliurfa province, Turkey, June 5, 2015. More than 3,000 Syrians fleeing clashes between Islamic State and Kurdish fighters have crossed into Turkey since Wednesday, a Turkish government official said. Kurdish forces are trying to drive the militants out of Tel Abyad, in Syria's Hassakah province, close to the Turkish border town of

Can Turkey return as a player in Syria?

The siege of Aleppo and resulting refugee flow offer an opportunity for Turkey's return as a player in Syria, but realities on the ground won't make it easy.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (2nd L) and Ecuador's Foreign Affairs Minister Ricardo Patino (L) attend a diplomatic ceremony in front of Carondelet Palace in Quito, Ecuador, February 4, 2016.REUTERS/Guillermo Granja - RTX25GXK

Why did Erdogan's bodyguards beat up these Ecuadorian women?

No country is spared from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s anger, not even Ecuador, raising questions about whether he can speak to unvetted audiences.

A Sunni Muslim rebel fighter who was trapped with other fighters in Zabadani, arrives at Bab al-Hawa near the Syrian-Turkish border December 29, 2015. A U.N. operation to evacuate around 450 Syrian fighters and their families from two besieged Syrian areas was completed on Monday with the arrival of planes carrying them to Beirut and Hatay airport in Turkey, U.N. and airport sources said. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah - RTX20DJB

Why some Syrian fighters transferred to Turkey vow to return

Although Ahrar al-Sham is associated with al-Qaeda, the people of Zabadani who were forced to flee to Turkey when the regime took over consider it a moderate group and continue to support it.