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

Turkey

Turkey

July 29, 2026

Ankara 6:46 am

18°C

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets Iraq Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi upon his arrival in Ankara, July 28, 2026.

Explainer

Erdogan hosts Zaidi, touts ‘historic step’ in Turkey-Iraq energy ties

The Turkish president outlined Ankara’s priorities with the new Iraqi government during the Iraqi leader’s first visit to Turkey: security, energy cooperation and the Development Road.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (not pictured) at the Pentagon on July 14, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.

Zaidi to meet Erdogan as Turkey-Iraq ties take off, Kurds feel sidelined

The Iraqi prime minister's visits to Ankara and Riyadh underscore Baghdad's push to deepen regional ties as Turkey seeks closer cooperation on energy and security.

Latest News

Analysis

Iran war puts Turkey’s inflation fight, lira under fresh pressure

Vendors sell dry food as people shop by a banner reading " No to Inflation" near the New Mosque area in Istanbul's Eminonu district on Nov. 6, 2018.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

What challenges await Erdogan’s new rival and Turkey’s new opposition party?

Ozgur Ozel

Halil Karaveli

By Halil Karaveli

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

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement in the Independence Hall of Israel in Tel Aviv May 1, 2014. Netanyahu said on Thursday he would seek to enact a law to define Israel as a Jewish state, a step certain to raise opposition from Arab citizens who make up a fifth of the population. REUTERS/Dan Balilty/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3NETY

Israeli sanctions on Palestinians could backfire

The Israeli assumption that economic pressure will return the Palestinians to "the straight and narrow path," has already proven to be ineffective and might endanger the motivation for successful security cooperation.

A farmer rides his horse as he herds his cattle towards stockyards near the outback Queensland town of Aramac, west of Brisbane, in this May 22, 2002 file picture. Hot on the back of winning lower tariffs for beef exports from its largest buyer Japan, Australia is setting its sights on winning another major prize for its beef industry by persuading China to open its market to live cattle sales. China's growing middle class seems to have an insatiable hunger for beef, but with limited domestic stock, beef im

Gazans mock Australia for cattle ban

Palestinians are expressing their exasperation with Australia’s decision to ban cattle exports to Gaza because of ill-treatment, while seeming to ignore the treatment of Palestinians under occupation.

A member of Saudi security forces attends Abdullah's Sword military drill as a jet flies by in Hafar Al-Batin, near the border with Kuwait REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: MILITARY) - RTR3N4AM

What message is Saudi Arabia sending with war games?

Saudi Arabia has just finished its largest war games in recent history, signalling its intent to develop its military capabilities in an increasingly unstable region.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan greets members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) as he arrives a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara April 29, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3N1W3

Turkish liberals should back Erdogan's message to Armenians

Turks should come to terms with the Armenian genocide, recognize the momentous step taken by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and embrace the legacy of the many Turkish officials who saved Armenians from death.

Smoke rises after what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the Armenian Christian town of Kasab April 7, 2014. For three years, residents of Syria's Mediterranean provinces have watched from their coastal sanctuary as civil war raging further inland tore the country apart, killing tens of thousands of people and devastating historic cities. But a three-week-old offensive by rebel fighters in the north of Latakia province, a bastion of Assad's Alawite minority,

Turkey's Syria borders an open door for smugglers

Guns, people and stolen goods move with surprising ease and regularity over a sensitive border.

Turkey's Central Bank Governor Erdem Basci arrives at a news conference in Ankara January 28, 2014. Turkey's central bank will use all instruments at its disposal at an extraordinary policy meeting later on Tuesday in a bid to prevent a deterioration in inflation, Basci said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTX17XXE

Will Turkey’s Central Bank governor survive purge?

Fears grow over a looming purge at Turkey’s Central Bank, but the bank’s governor is expected to retain his post.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (4th L) is pictured after receiving the "King Faisal International Prize" from Saudi King Abdullah (3rd L) in Riyadh March 9, 2010. REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2BFMZ

Saudi Wahhabi leaders see Turkish threat over caliphate

Saudi Wahhabi leaders have gone on the attack to promote what they believe is the sole, Saudi claim to the restoration of the caliphate.

Syrian refugees are seen in a refugee camp on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey, near Idlib January 29, 2013, in this picture provided by Shaam News Network. Picture taken January 29, 2013. REUTERS/Muhammad Najdet Qadour/Shaam News Network/Handout (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT SOCIETY IMMIGRATION POVERTY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL U

Turkey’s endless Syrian refugee crisis

There may be a limit to Turkey’s open-door policy for Syrian refugees, one that is taxing Turkey’s economy and society.

Free Syrian Army fighters ride a tank as they patrol a street in Rif al-Muhandisin at the Western countryside of Aleppo March 27, 2014. Picture taken March 27, 2014. REUTERS/Abdalghne Karoof (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3IYY0

My perilous journey from Aleppo to Turkey

The journey from Aleppo to the Turkish border once took 45 minutes but is now a 6.5-hour drive fraught with danger.

Flowers are seen after being placed beside the names of World War Two Nazi concentration camps during a ceremony entitled "Unto Every Person There is a Name," marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, April 28, 2014. Israel on Monday marked the annual memorial day commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War Two. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: ANNIVERSARY CONFLICT) - RTR3MWTB

Israel has moral duty to recognize Armenian genocide

On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israelis must rethink their stance on the Armenian genocide and act out of a moral imperative, not political considerations vis-a-vis Turkey.

Palestinians wave national flags as they celebrate after an announcement of a reconciliation agreement in Gaza City April 23, 2014. The Gaza-based Islamist group Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) agreed on Wednesday to implement a unity pact, both sides announced in a joint news conference. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3MBX7

Abbas goes big with Hamas deal; the Temple Mount fault line

PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas plays the Hamas card; watch out for the "Hebronization" of the Temple Mount; Al-Monitor launches Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish newsletters.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (L) and Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan address the media in Ankara November 13, 2013. Erdogan said on Wednesday work on the Trans-Anatolian natural gas pipeline project (TANAP), which will carry Azeri natural gas, will begin in early 2014. Turkey, which has a 20 percent stake in TANAP, and Azerbaijan, which controls 80 percent, are looking at ways to cooperate on shipping Azeri gas to the Balkans, Erdogan also said after talks with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev in

Can Erdogan overcome Azeri obstacle in ties with Armenia?

Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan in the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh is blocking improved ties between Turkey and Armenia.