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

Turkey

Turkey

May 6, 2026

Ankara 11:54 am

11°C

A picture taken near Kars on Feb. 28, 2024 shows the ruins of a bridge over Arpacay river, the natural border between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkey, Armenia agree to restore medieval bridge in normalization push

Ankara is pursuing normalization with Armenia ahead of June parliamentary elections in a thaw also positioned to advance its broader Middle Corridor ambitions.

Sabah Fidan

Turkey hosts Kuwaiti FM as UAE's OAPEC exit fuels Gulf rift

Kuwait's top diplomat visited Turkey as the Gulf rift deepens following the UAE’s exit from OPEC and its affiliated alliances, forcing Ankara to balance ties between Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

Zaidi

Analysis

Iraq’s Zaidi offers economic promise for Turkey but unknowns loom

Iraq’s prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, is expected to sustain growing economic and strategic ties with Turkey thanks to his business-oriented approach, though uncertainty over his political stance could test cooperation on sensitive issues.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

Turkey’s religious agency grows even richer, more powerful

Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate has acquired unprecedented influence and budget means under Erdogan, spending more than the Foreign and other ministries.

A man walks across the deserted Eminonu Square in Istanbul on May 9, 2021, during a new lockdown aimed at fighting a surging third wave of COVID-19 infections.

Lockdown stems virus surge in Turkey but slow vaccination raises concern

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday a nationwide lockdown would be gradually lifted as planned on May 17, though health experts urged caution amid a vaccination campaign slowed by supply hurdles.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Talk of Kurdish weddings code for terror plots, Turkish prosecutors say

The Turkish justice system is overwhelmed with thousands in prison for such dubious crimes as texting about weddings.

A man walks near a laundry clothing line hanging in the open by a building in the city of Tawergha, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of Libya's capital close to the port city of Misrata, on Dec. 12, 2020.

Libyan conflict stands out as key to Turkey-Egypt normalization

Turkey appears reluctant to back down from its military posture in Libya, even as its normalization bid with Egypt depends greatly on whether the two sides find common ground in the Libyan conflict.

Palestinians run for cover from tear gas fired by Israeli security forces at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound on May 10, 2021, ahead of a planned march to commemorate Israel's takeover of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Temple Mount violence bares fragility of Turkey’s attempts to fix relations with Israel

Turkey's president and other officials have condemned Israel's crackdown on Palestinians in unrest at Al-Aqsa mosque, posing a serious threat to Ankara's efforts to mend ties with Israel.

Sisi Erdogan and King Salman

Erdogan’s reset with Egypt and the Gulf won’t be smooth

The Turkish president wants a change in relations, but his efforts are seen as the result of a failed regional strategy and poor ties with the Biden administration.

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal (C) and his delegation meet with their Egyptian counterparts in the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Egypt's capital, Cairo, on May 5, 2021. Turkey and Egypt have begun slowly warming ties as they vie for regional primacy a decade after the Arab Spring, but analysts say deep-seated mistrust means full normalization will take time. The talks come nearly two months after Ankara established the first diplomatic contacts with Cairo since 2013 as part of wider efforts t

Turkey faces rough road to normalization with Egypt

Turkey’s reconciliation with Egypt is not likely to be easy, but progress after the first high-level meeting between the two sides could mark a new course in Ankara’s foreign policy and pave the way for its reconciliation with the Gulf heavyweights as well.

Diplomats meet in Cairo

Egypt, Turkey conclude 'frank and in-depth' talks in Cairo

The Egyptian and Turkish deputy foreign ministers chaired two days of talks focused on bilateral and regional issues, including the war in Libya.

Women sit next to an exchange office at Laleli in Istanbul, Turkey, March 22, 2021.

Turkish Central Bank keeps interest rates high as inflation weighs on economy

Cornered by rising inflation and a weakening currency, Turkey’s Central Bank kept its benchmark interest rate steady at 19% on May 6 as policymakers await positive signals.

Egypt's Deputy Foreign Minister Hamdi Sanad Loza (R) meets with his Turkish counterpart, Sedat Onal (L), in the Foreign Ministry headquarters in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on May 5, 2021.

Will Turkey’s efforts to woo Egypt yield fruit?

Egypt and Turkey began talks in Cairo today aimed at reseting ties after nearly eight years of a diplomatic rift.

A security guard stands in front of Istanbul's courthouse on July 3, 2020, during the trial of 20 Saudi suspects accused in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 in Istanbul. The trial in absentia of 20 Saudi suspects accused of the murder, including two former aides to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, began in Istanbul on July 3, 2020.

Turkey’s good words not worth much to Saudi Arabia

Turkey’s efforts to mend ties with the Gulf bloc don't pass Riyadh's tacit preconditions.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Iraq scolds Turkey over latest anti-PKK offensive in Iraqi Kurdistan

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar visited a military base in northern Iraq to supervise Turkish operations against PKK militants, drawing anger from Baghdad.