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

Turkey

Turkey

November 12, 2026

Ankara 2:01 am

6°C

People walk past a Bitcoin sign at the entrance of a cryptocurrency exchange office on Nov. 8, 2024, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Watchdog urges Turkey to tighten digital asset rules for $144B crypto economy

A review of Turkey’s crypto-asset regulations by the Financial Stability Board acknowledged significant progress made by local authorities but called for further measures to address potential risks.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Central Bank Governor Sahap Kavcioglu attend a signing ceremony with Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Nov. 24, 2021. ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s banking watchdog chief submits resignation amid fund scandal

Turkey’s government is facing growing criticism over regulators’ failure to prevent a fund scandal involving more than $20 billion.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Explainer

Iran war pushes up coal use, complicating Turkey’s COP31 pledge

Turkey is asking world leaders at COP31 to back a global push to use more electricity, even as the Iran war has driven up natural gas prices and pushed some power producers back to coal.

Latest News

Turkey bars MP’s wife from travel after his fund scandal criticism: What to know

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Steel factory explosion in western Turkey kills at least 16

A steel worker works in front of giant iron melting pot in Kardemir Iron and Steel Factory in Karabuk, northwestern Turkey, Aug. 26 2005. (TARIK TINAZAY/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Will Democrats block Trump’s push to deliver Turkey F-35s, lift sanctions?

MEHMET ESER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

If you’re using iMessage, here’s why the Turkish government might think you’re a spy

The latest arrest and deportation of foreign journalists reveals how misunderstood encryption technology is in Turkey.

How Erdogan exploits Syrian refugees

Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan had hoped a wave of Syrian refugees, created with assistance to the Islamic State, would force NATO to act against Syria's Bashar al-Assad, and when that failed, he allowed the refugees to move westward to pressure Europe.

Syria's president Bashar al-Assad speaks during his meeting with the heads and members of public organizations and professional associations in Damascus, Syria, in this handout released by Syria's national news agency SANA on July 26, 2015. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday the army had been forced to give up areas in order to hold onto more important ones in its fight with insurgents, and the scale of the war meant the military faced a manpower shortage. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters

ATT

Congress rethinks anti-Assad stance

Senate Democrats are beginning to question regime-change goals amid Islamic State gains.

United Arab Emirates

Refugees risk it all

Even daily tragedies at sea don’t stop Syrian refugees from risking their lives and those of their families trying to get to Europe from Turkey.

AKP to its moderates: Don't let the door hit you on your way out

A number of moderate Justice and Development Party veterans who dared to express opposition to the course set by Recep Tayyip Erdogan have been excluded from the party’s central committee.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) attends a news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in Strelna near St. Petersburg, November 22, 2013. Putin said on Friday Western states must persuade the Syrian opposition to attend talks with President Bashar al-Assad's government which he said should take place as soon as possible. REUTERS/Aleksey Nikolskyi/RIA Novosti/Kremlin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT)

ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED,

Russia deepens Turkey’s Syrian impasse

Moscow’s increasing military support for the Assad regime makes a reassessment of Ankara’s Syria policy essential.

Syrian migrants walk towards the Greece border on a road near Edirne, Turkey, September 15, 2015. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTS165C

Why the Gulf isn't to blame for Syrian refugee crisis

Oil-rich Gulf states are defending their record in assisting Syrian refugees as world opinion grows more hostile to their perceived indifference.

Wounded residents rest at a home in the southeastern town of Cizre in Sirnak province, Turkey, September 12, 2015. In the town of Cizre, scene of intense clashes between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Turkish army, residents ventured out to stock up on groceries and check on their shops after authorities lifted a nine-day round-the-clock curfew at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT), residents said. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RTSRC2

Ongoing violence, curfews keep doctors from tending to sick in southeast Turkey

Alarm bells are ringing for the health sector in Turkey’s conflict-ridden southeast as draconian security measures and simmering violence disrupt medical services and lead to civilian deaths.

Is Turkey ignoring Islamic State threats against Christians?

Turkey’s tiny Protestant community has received recent threats believed to be from the Islamic State, but as in the past, state authorities have failed to take measures to protect the community.

Syria's new capital … Istanbul

While Europe panics over 224,000 refugees, displaced Syrians have reached 330,000 in Istanbul alone.

Turkey, PKK clashes continue, but will there be a winner?

The spiral of violence that engulfed Turkey on July 20 is worsening by the day.

Did Jabhat al-Nusra kill 'allied' FSA Commander Radoon?

Responsibility for the assassination of Free Syrian Army Cmdr. Jamil Radoon Aug. 26 remains unclaimed, raising suspicions whether Jabhat al-Nusra could be behind this act.