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

Turkey

Turkey

May 1, 2026

Ankara 10:13 pm

7°C

Members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), from the British Army's 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, No. 2 Company, patrol along the buffer zone separating the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the divided capital Nicosia on Feb. 17, 2026.

Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know

A potential French deployment to Greek Cyprus comes amid Turkey’s growing concerns of strategic encirclement in the Eastern Mediterranean.

This aerial photograph shows Turkey's first floating natural gas production platform, "Osman Gazi," passing through the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, on May 29, 2025.

Turkey advances gas pipeline plan to northern Cyprus as East Med rivalry grows

The Turkish energy minister said the country's oil and natural gas pipeline operator, BOTAS, has started the engineering work for the pipeline.

Cadets of the Saiqa Force (Special Forces) of the self-styled Libyan National Army affiliated with eastern strongman Khalifa Hifter take part in a graduation ceremony in tribute to the force's late commander, Wanis Bukhamada, in the eastern city of Benghazi, on Jan. 20, 2022.

In first, Libya’s rival armies to join drill in Turkey: What to know

The move follows the first joint exercise inside Libya amid renewed international efforts to unify the country.

Latest News

Turkey’s military spending jumps to $30B, leads Mideast growth in 2025

Turkey's submarines and fast-attack craft ships participate in the live-fire phase of the Blue Homeland-2026 (Mavi Vatan) tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the margins of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, on April 17, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey’s Baykar tests K2 swarm kamikaze drones for first time: What to know

CORLU, TURKEY- MARCH 2: A B model of Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA (Assault Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in the sky on March 2, 2022 in Corlu, Turkey. (Photo by Baykar Press Office/dia images via Getty Images)

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

(L-R) Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose for a photo before a trilateral meeting on Syria in Tehran on July 19, 2022. (Photo by Sergei SAVOSTYANOV / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SAVOSTYANOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey hopes Iran will play constructive role in Syria thaw

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu acknowledged difficulties so far but called on Iran to make a constructive contribution to the high-level talks between Turkey, Syria and Russia.

Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry.

Turkey, Egypt inch closer to restoring ties as FMs meet in Ankara

The former Eastern Mediterranean rivals are on the path to rapprochement, but there are no plans for the return of ambassadors as of yet.

Here are the biggest Middle East disclosures in the leaked intel docs

Turkey, Israel and the United Arab Emirates are among the Middle East countries named in a major leak of classified US intelligence documents.

Co-leader of the People's Democratic Party (HDP) Mithat Sancar.

Will Turkey’s top court disband pro-Kurdish party ahead of May elections?

The HDP, which might be one step closer to closure with this move, is competing in the crucial polls next month under the list of the Green Left Party.

The US Treasury Department in Washington, DC, on March 28, 2023. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

US targets firms in UAE, Turkey over Russia sanctions evasion

The latest tranche of sanctions come as the Biden administration seeks to crack down on Russia’s financial facilitators.

ADEM ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey’s opposition pledges return to economic orthodoxy, faces uphill task

An opposition victory in Turkey’s upcoming elections should put the country back on the path of economic orthodoxy, but the huge cost of the February quakes dictates tough revisions to any economic plans.

A painted Turkish national flag is seen on the wall of a collapsed building, two months after a 7.8-magnitude jolt and its aftershocks wiped out swathes of Turkey's mountainous southeast, in Antakya on April 5, 2023. - Many of the survivors blamed the government and its stuttering response to Turkey's worst disaster of its modern era for a death toll that has now surpassed 50,000. But that fury is gradually giving way to a mixture of fatalism and reviving trust in the man this province gave three-fourths of

Turkey's industries see biggest decline since 2020 in quake aftermath

Production output fell by 8.2% annually in February, the same month the earthquakes wreaked havoc on the country, according to new data.

Turkish President and Leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and his wife Emine Erdogan (L) acknowledge the crowd during the unveiling of the AK Party's Election Manifesto in Ankara, Turkey on April 11, 2023.

Turkey’s Erdogan lays out promises to party base, but offers few details

The president pledged a way out of the economic crisis and promised improved living standards ahead of May polls.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - OCTOBER 19: Turkey's drilling vessel Kanuni arrives for alterations at the Haydarpasa port on October 19, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. The vessel will undergo tower disassembly before heading to the Black Sea. Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently announced a further discovery of 85 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Black Sea. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Turkey's natural gas offers much needed energy options

The new development of gas from the Sakarya field in the Black Sea is a remarkable achievement for Turkey's national oil company.

Gerald Kepes

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy trends

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks.

Turkey accuses Iraqi Kurdish party of being under ‘full control’ of PKK

Turkey's top diplomat tore into an Iraqi Kurdish group following an April 8 drone strike targeting the US-led coalition’s top ally in Syria, saying the PKK had taken “full control” of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and his wife Emine Erdogan (L) sit in their Togg T10X, Turkey's first domestically-produced electric car, after receiving it from the company at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on April 3, 2023. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt’s FM to visit Turkey ahead of restoration of ties: Cavusoglu

The Turkish government unleashed a fresh regional charm offensive ahead of the critical May 14 vote, as the top Turkish diplomat announced planned and potential meetings with his Egyptian and Syrian counterparts.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

In Turkey, Erdogan challenger attracts solid Kurdish support, a decisive vote

Turkey’s opposition leader is likely to receive crucial Kurdish support in his bid to unseat Erdogan in the May 14 polls, but a victory for the opposition remains far from assured.