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

Turkey

Turkey

June 16, 2026

Ankara 4:05 am

18°C

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 22, 2026.

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Moscow as S-400 sanctions issue returns to fore

The visit comes weeks before Turkey hosts NATO leaders, on the sidelines of which Ankara hopes to reach a deal with Washington over CAATSA sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400s.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

The latest Erdogan-Netanyahu clash underscored how Turkey-Israel tensions have grown beyond the Palestinian issue and into a wider regional rivalry spanning Syria, Lebanon, Iran and the eastern Mediterranean.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Feature

Turkey’s World Cup return clouded by politics, dawn kickoffs

Turkey finally has the World Cup moment it waited 24 years for, but much of the country will either be asleep for it or arguing over efforts to claim it.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Latest News

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

Analysis

As Trump admin drops Halkbank case, S-400 last big hurdle in US-Turkey ties

Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile launching system is displayed at the exposition field in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow on Aug. 22, 2017 during the first day of the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2017.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) attends a wreath-laying ceremony as he is followed by Chief of Staff General Necdet Ozel at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara August 1, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTX126OB

Erdogan, Egypt’s Coup And the Israeli Connection

While Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan was wrong if he meant to imply that Israel engineered the coup in Egypt, Tel Aviv is certainly glad the coup happened.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech at Cairo University after his meeting with the Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi during the first day of his two-day trip to Egypt, November 17, 2012. Erdogan, an outspoken of critic of Israel, praised Egypt's Islamist president Mursi on Saturday for recalling his ambassador from Tel Aviv in response to Israeli attacks on Gaza. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3AJ7X

Israel and the Democracy Paradox In the Middle East

The coup in Egypt stirs rethinking about elections and democracy throughout the region.

Turkey's lira coins are seen in this picture illustration taken in Istanbul July 23, 2013. Turkey's central bank raised interest rates on Tuesday and said it would, if necessary, take further steps to stop the lira from falling. The move - a rise in the overnight lending rate to 7.25 percent from 6.5 percent - was a reaction to capital outflows that have knocked the lira down as much as 9 percent against the dollar. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTX11W1Y

Turkey’s Babacan Warns Of Financial Turmoil

Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan warns of the implications for Turkey of the US Federal Reserve’s plan to taper bond purchases.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (C) leaves his seat to address members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara June 11, 2013. Erdogan called on protesters to withdraw from central Istanbul's Gezi Park on Tuesday and said the wave of anti-government demonstrations was part of a deliberate attempt to damage Turkey's image and economy. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10JH8

Will Turkey’s Parliament Back Attack on Syria?

Turkey’s participation in a “coalition of the willing” for military action in Syria may face resistance in Turkey’s parliament.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) speaks as the head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition Ahmed Jarba listens during a news conference in Istanbul August 24, 2013. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12UZX

Turkey’s Secret Egyptian Channel

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's latest statements on Turkey’s Egypt policies prompt speculation about what comes next.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu (R) as they meet in Ankara June 24, 2012. Turkey accused Syria on Sunday of shooting down a military plane in international airspace without warning and called a NATO meeting to discuss a response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Amid growing acrimony between the once-friendly neighbours, Syria said its forces had shot dead "terrorists" infiltrating its territory from T

Turkey’s Main Opposition Party No Threat to Erdogan

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) does not represent a credible opposition to the ruling AKP.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan walks to his plane as he leaves for Turkmenistan, at Esenboga Airport in Ankara August 15, 2013. Erdogan called on Thursday for the U.N. Security Council to convene quickly and act after what he described as a massacre in Egypt, during a news conference in Ankara. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12M4A

'Naming' and 'Shaming' In Turkish Politics

Naming and shaming policies that have intensified after the Gezi Park protests hurt Turkey’s democratization.

Turkish policemen watch from the roof of Ataturk Cultural Center at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 18, 2013. Performance artist Erdem Gunduz became the new symbol of anti-government protests in Turkey on Tuesday after his eight-hour vigil in Taksim Square earned him the nickname "the Standing Man". Gunduz said he was protesting in solidarity with demonstrators who were evicted at the weekend from Gezi Park adjoining Taksim, an intervention by police that triggered some of the most violent clashes to date. W

Press Freedom in the New Turkey

The complexity of the Turkish media scene cannot be understood without knowing its background.

Supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi argue with riot police and army personnel during clashes near Rabaa Adawiya square in Cairo August 14, 2013. Egypt is in turmoil after security forces moved in to clear the protest camps of thousands of supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Mursi on Wednesday, and violence spread around the country. Protesters clashed with police and troops who used bulldozers, teargas and live ammunition to clear two Cairo sit-ins. Egypt's health ministry say

Can Egypt Win the WarFor Public Opinion?

While Western media persist in calling the Egyptian crisis a military coup, there are ways that Egypt can restore its public image in the world's eyes.

Arab Spring Brings Renaissance In Turkish Art

Some of the Middle Eastern artists who fled their countries have found themselves perplexed during and after the Gezi Park protests in Turkey.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi attend a news conference in Ankara September 30, 2012. Picture taken September 30, 2012. REUTERS/Yasin Bulbul/Prime Minister's Press Office/Handout (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) 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, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR38N60

Erdogan Veers Away From 'Reformed Moderate Islam'

Turkey's prime minister returns to his ideological roots with his emotional support of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he gives a speech during a meeting at his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) party headquarters in Ankara, on August 20, 2013. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel on August 20 of being behind the military-backed ouster of Egypt's Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last month. AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Erdogan Shows His Softer Side

Some Turks question why Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan cries over the death of an Egyptian protester but not a Turkish one.