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

Turkey

Turkey

September 27, 2026

Ankara 5:27 am

14°C

Servicemen of Yavuz class, TCG Turgutreis (F-241) warship, stand at attention on the deck as they 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.

Turkey warns Greece-Cyprus-Israel power cable needs Ankara's approval

The Greece-Cyprus-Israel undersea power project has again stirred tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey deployed warships during survey work in 2024.

Latest News

Explainer

Turkey agrees to hand over contentious Bashiqa base to Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New York City, Sept. 23, 2026.

Explainer

Turkey’s $18B Ponzi-like scandal likened to Madoff as arrests mount

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey, US sign $2M grant deal for small nuclear reactors: What to know

construction of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant

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

Hollande-PYD meeting challenges Erdogan

French President Francois Hollande, by hosting at Elysee Palace two Kurdish female leaders from Kobani, sends a strong message to Ankara.

This file picture taken on December 19, 2014 shows the head of Turkey's intelligence agency Hakan Fidan (C) standing in Ankara. The powerful head of Turkey's intelligence agency, one of the most loyal allies of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has resigned to stand for election as a lawmaker, the official Anatolia news agency said on February 7, 2015. The resignation of Hakan Fidan, who has headed the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) since 2010, has been accepted by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and will

Are tensions straining AKP's inner circle?

Despite rumors otherwise, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's relationships with his prime minister and former intelligence chief remain strong.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY ANTONIO PAMPLIEGA
A masked Syrian Turkmen rebel takes posision in the Hanano district of the northern city of Aleppo on January 28, 2013. Members of Syria's Turkmen minority have joined forces with rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad's regime in a struggle they say is for democracy and revenge for years of oppression. AFP PHOTO/JM LOPEZ (Photo credit should read JM LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Syrian Turkmens are forgotten ally in war against Islamic State

Syrian Turkmens say they can play key role in fighting IS in northern Syria.

Turkish riot police use their shields to protect themselves as they clash with demonstrators during a protest in central Istanbul May 31, 2014. On the first anniversary of nationwide protests that shook Prime Minster Tayyip Erdogan's rule, barely a thousand anti-government demonstrators marched in Istanbul on Saturday. Outnumbered by riot police, they were soon sent scurrying into side streets by tear gas and water cannon. Their scant numbers were an illustration of Erdogan's tightening grip on power despit

Is Turkey becoming a police state?

Critics say a proposed law will turn Turkey into a police state by providing security forces with extensive powers to suppress the government’s opponents.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Unlocking Resources for Regional Development in Istanbul September 28, 2014. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR481R0

Erdogan's 'facts' muddle Turkey's economic reality

For his supporters, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is an unquestionable leader who, not being limited by reality, is able to create his own facts.

Supporters of the Gulen movement read the Koran as they gather in front of the Bank Asya headquarters in Istanbul February 4, 2015. Turkey has taken control of Bank Asya, the Islamic lender caught up in a feud between President Tayyip Erdogan and his ally-turned-foe, U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. The action by Turkey's banking regulatory authorities follows a run on deposits at Bank Asya last year when the lender became embroiled in the power struggle between Erdogan and Gulen, whose followers h

Why did Turkey seize Bank Asya?

A Turkish government agency made the unprecedented move of taking control of the management of the financially sound Bank Asya.

Brides and bridegrooms wave on the stage as they wait for their wedding ceremony in Ankara, August 6, 2006. 206 couples married together with an annual ceremony organised by Ankara municipality. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY) - RTR1G5LY

Turkey offers cash rewards for marrying early

The Justice and Development Party government is offering incentives to encourage university students to get married before graduation and to have more than three children.

RTR35CXJ (1).jpg

Turkey's intelligence czar resigns to run for office

The resignation of intelligence chief Hakan Fidan to run for parliament becomes the center of debate in Turkey.

Obama: 'Iran’s program has not advanced'

US allies puzzled by March deadline for consideration of Senate sanctions bill; Iran’s gesture to Saudi Arabia; Iran’s man in Beirut; Erdogan’s anti-Western pivot; Aleppo’s fuel shortage; Israel reconciling to Hamas?

People hold a banner as they protest against the government and violence against women, a day after International Women's Day in Istanbul March 9, 2014. On March 8 activists around the globe celebrate International Women's Day, which dates back to the beginning of the 20th Century and has been observed by the United Nations since 1975. The UN writes that it is an occasion to commemorate achievements in women's rights and to call for further change. The banner reads, "8 march women unions". REUTERS/Osman Ors

AKP's views on sexuality create uproar

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s dream of raising a "pious generation" fails to deal with taboo matters of sexuality.

Van, TURKEY: Van cat is seen at the Cat House Center in the eastern city of Van, Turkey, 19 January 2006. The bird-flu virus supposedly spreads to humans only if they come into contact with infected birds and poses no known threat to cats. But veterinarians, which is at the centre of the outbreak, are not taking any chances with the famous cats of Van, a protected species with white fur, auburn markings and different-coloured eyes. AFP PHOTO MUSTAFA OZER (Photo credit should read MUSTAFA OZER/AFP/Getty I

Turkey saves cats from extinction

After two decades of arduous work, a university research center in eastern Turkey has saved the precious Van cats from extinction.

Supporters of Egypt's deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood wave Turkish and Egyptian flags during a rally in protest against the recent violence in Egypt, outside of the Eminonu New mosque in Istanbul August 17, 2013. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX12P99

Turkey accused of escalating violence in Egypt

Egyptians suspect Turkey of allowing Muslim Brotherhood affiliates to provoke violence in their country.