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

Turkey

Turkey

July 8, 2026

Ankara 2:24 am

20°C

US President Donald Trump walks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a state arrival ceremony at the Bestepe Presidential Complex for the annual NATO Summit on July 7, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

Explainer

Why Trump bid to lift CAATSA sanctions on Turkey faces complicated path

Trump's announcement could reset US-Turkey defense ties, but congressional approval and separate legal restrictions stand in the way.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) welcomes US President Donald Trump (R) upon his arrival on Air Force One at Etimesgut Air Base near Ankara, on July 7, 2026, before attending the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Trump's F-35 push for Turkey runs into CAATSA — and Israel

Israel fears that Washington may be shifting its strategic options toward Turkey as the two rivals push for regional hegemony.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney (R) is welcomed by Turkey's Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek upon arrival at Esenboga Airport to attend the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara on July 7, 2026. (Photo by Muhammed Abdullah Kurtar / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Canada, Turkey launch free trade talks on NATO summit sidelines

Trade between the two countries stood at $4.3 billion in 2025, and officials from both countries will meet to lay the groundwork for the first FTA negotiations.

Latest News

Trump says US will lift CAATSA sanctions on Turkey, consider F-35 sale

Trump Erdogan

Analysis

As it hosts NATO, Turkey eyes France's SAMP/T system, F-35 progress with Trump

sampt-t

Ezgi Akin

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

Israel, Greece conduct military drills ahead of NATO summit in Turkey

ABIR SULTAN / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

In Libya, maritime dispute could complicate Turkey’s backing of US unity push

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech after a signing ceremony with Libyan Government of National Unity prime minister at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on April 12, 2021.

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

People look at military weapons on May 9, 2017, during the opening day of the 13th International Defense Industry Fair in Istanbul.

Turkey’s defense industry suffers setback but future remains promising

The Turkish defense industry saw a significant decline in its revenues last year according to newly released data, but companies in the sector remain optimistic about their growth prospects.

People demonstrate in protest against the coronavirus vaccine on Sept. 11, 2021 in Istanbul.

Anti-vaxxer Turks protest Bill Gates at Istanbul rally

Thousands of Turks came together in Istanbul to protest vaccinations, mandatory testing and other coronavirus measures while the country's overworked doctors lashed out at authorities for allowing the demonstration.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Libyan Government of National Unity Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh attend a signing ceremony after their meeting at the presidential palace, Ankara, Turkey, April 12, 2021.

Why has Turkey turned to Libya's Gadhafi family?

Realizing that its current allies are not sufficient to secure Turkey’s interests in Libya, Ankara is now seeking to include Gadhafi family members into its calculus.

A container ship sails to marmara sea on Dec. 18, 2019 in Istanbul.

Is Turkey’s export-driven growth sustainable?

Turkey’s industry remains heavily reliant on imported materials, meaning the country’s current account deficit problem persists despite a record increase in exports.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech following an evaluation meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on April 5, 2021.

Erdogan heralds massive military complex to coordinate military, security agencies

A planned joint complex to house Turkey’s top military bodies is touted as a move to enhance the army’s coordination and interoperability, but political and economic motivations also lurk behind the project.

Head's of Turkeys Religious Affairs Directorate Ali Erbas holds a press conference in Ankara, Turkey on March 15, 2019.

Turkey’s powerful top cleric called to tone down or resign

Ever since he delivered the first sermon at the opening of Hagia Sophia as a mosque in July 2020 with a sword in hand, Ali Erbas has been on a meteoric rise of visibility.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish opposition courts Kurds in trip to Erbil

The Republican People’s Party, Turkey’s main opposition party, has sent a senior delegation to Iraq's Kurdistan Region, perhaps because popular elections have become difficult to win without Kurdish votes.

Armed Taliban fighters stand next to a mullah, a religious leader, speaking during Friday prayers at the Pul-e Khishti Mosque in Kabul on Sept. 3, 2021.

How will Taliban’s return affect jihadi movements in Turkey, Syria?

Salafi-jihadi groups in Turkey and neighboring Syria may look for inspiration from the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, but their prospects appear rather limited at present.

Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems move through Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2021.

Is Moscow using the S-400 against Turkey?

Ankara denies the suggestion from Moscow that a second batch of S-400s is headed for Turkey and says it is an effort to stall Turkey’s talks with the United States and Europe.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C,R) meets Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli (C,L) at the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara, on Nov. 19, 2019.

Turkey’s ruling alliance to ease election threshold, but opponents smell trap

An agreement between the AKP and the MHP to cut the vote baseline to enter parliament from 10% is seen as a bid to undermine the opposition.

(L to R) Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah, OIC Secretary-General Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim al-Thani, French President Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Jordan's King Abdullah II, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef al-Hajraf, Irani

What Erdogan missed in skipping Baghdad conference

The Turkish president’s absence from the regional summit in Baghdad underscores the urgent need for Turkey to mend fences with Iraq and rethink the cost of its confrontational policies in the region.

WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

Qatar in talks with Taliban, Turkey to reopen Kabul airport

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said there is “no clear indication” of when flights will resume at Hamid Karzai International Airport.