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

Turkey

Turkey

July 9, 2026

Ankara 9:33 pm

24°C

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Turkey brokers intra-Somalia talks as federal rifts test Ankara’s influence

Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland and Jubaland states reportedly declined to join the talks, as Ankara is ramping up efforts to shore up support for Somalia’s federal institutions.

Getty Images

Trump 'undecided' on Turkey's F-35s as Congress seeks answers on S-400

Top Democratic lawmakers say the ball is in Ankara’s court on rejoining the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, but suggest that Turkey offshoring its Russian-made S-400 system won’t be enough.

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (R) shakes hands with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian during his visit in Yerevan on July 19, 2025. (Photo by KAREN MINASYAN / AFP) (Photo by KAREN MINASYAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Feature

Armenia's Pashinyan keeps Iran close while wooing Trump, Turkey and Azerbaijan

As Yerevan pursues normalization with Turkey and Azerbaijan and backs a US-led transport corridor, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is working to reassure an increasingly assertive Iran that its interests won't be threatened.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Trump declares MoU with Iran 'over' as Hegseth cancels trip to Israel

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not shown) for bilateral talks at Beştepe Presidential Compound during the NATO Summit on July 08, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Explainer

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

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.

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

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (back-L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (back-R) attend a signing ceremony ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on May 13, 2017.

China looms large in Turkey’s controversial waterway project

Turkey is reportedly gearing up to partner with China in the construction of an artificial waterway parallel to the Bosporus, a project with likely implications for Russia and the United States in the Black Sea.

Erdogan

Crackdown on dissent highlights Turkey's drift from democracy

A recent decision to nullify a parliamentary vote and ongoing targeting of opposition lawmakers are further evidence of Turkey’s slide away from a democratic system.

women wave hdp flags at newroz

Will Turkey’s third largest party survive closure case?

The fate of Turkey’s main Kurdish political movement remains in limbo even though the Constitutional Court last week rejected an indictment seeking the closure of the party.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech following an evaluation meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on April 5, 2021. Erdogan accused dozens of retired admirals of eyeing a "political coup" by attacking his plans for a canal linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. His fury was directed at a letter published by 104 former admirals over the weekend urging him to abide by the terms of the 1936 Montreux Convention.

Who benefits if Erdogan scraps key maritime treaty?

A warning by more than 100 retired Turkish admirals against scrapping an 85-year-old maritime treaty restricting foreign military presence in the Black Sea coincides with rising tensions between Russia and Western-backed Ukraine in the region.

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

Turkey’s talk of pulling out of the Montreux Convention part diversion, part 'Ataturk envy'

It's unclear if talk of Turkey pulling out the 1936 maritime treaty will be followed by any action, but the discussion should not be taken lightly.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish court sentences 32 to life in prison over 2016 coup

In mass trial of 497 defendants, an Ankara court issued 32 life sentences to former soldiers Wednesday for their involvement in a 2016 coup attempt to oust Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech following an evaluation meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on April 5, 2021. Erdogan accused dozens of retired admirals of eyeing a "political coup" by attacking his plans for a canal linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. Erdogan's fury was directed at a letter published by 104 former admirals over the weekend urging him to abide by the terms of the 1936 Montreux Convention.

Deciphering retired admirals’ open letter in Turkey

An open letter by retired admirals critical of government policies has given Erdogan much-needed political ammunition amid an economic turmoil that has been eating into his popular support.

EU President of Council Charles Michel (R) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) give a joint press after a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the EU headquarters in Brussels on March 9, 2020.

Top EU officials seek improved ties, positive agenda in meeting with Erdogan

Focusing on economic cooperation, migration and human rights, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Charles Michel sought to improve EU-Turkey ties during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on April 6.

Syrians drive in the town of Saraqeb along the main Damascus-Aleppo (M5) highway in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on March 7, 2020, following a Russian-Turkish cease-fire deal.

War over economic routes heats up in Syria

Syria’s economic collapse is stoking the struggle over commercial routes between government-held areas and US- and Turkish-backed enclaves, fueling also disagreements on humanitarian aid.

People sit along the Bosphorus shore at Karakoy port in Istanbul on Feb. 8, 2021 as the Galata bridge and the Suleymaniye mosque are seen in the background.

Turkey detains 10 retired admirals after statement triggers coup scare

A group of retired Turkish navy admirals are under investigation after penning a letter on a Bosporus Strait treaty government officials claim is “reminiscent of coup times.”

2018 Istanbul protest against Saudi actions in Yemen

Could Turkish involvement in Yemen free Saudi Arabia?

The Muslim Brotherhood and sources close to the Turkish government are arguing that Saudi Arabia could find a face-saving exit from the Yemen conflict it has been looking for by cooperating with Turkey.

Supporters of Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) shout slogans during a rally as part of Nowruz (Newroz), or Kurdish New Year, celebrations in Ankara, on March 21, 2021.

Top Turkish court rejects bid to close pro-Kurdish party

Citing technical flaws in a case seeking the closure of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, the Turkish Constitutional Court rejected an indictment by a top prosecutor, setting the stage for possible rifts among political alliances in Ankara.