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Turkey

Turkey

September 27, 2026

Ankara 7:07 pm

21°C

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (3rd R) with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud (R) and Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (2nd R), Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman (C), Turkish Chief of the General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu (L), Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif (2nd R), Pakistani Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir (3rd R) at the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee in relation to the

Analysis

Why Turkey is drawing the line at defense in its support for Saudi Arabia

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia are forcing Mecca pact signatories to quickly operationalize their agreement, but are unlikely to draw Turkey into direct action against the Iran-backed group.

Ezgi Akin

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

Turkish soldiers conduct military exercises near the Habur crossing gate between Turkey and Iraq on Sept. 27, 2017 in the Silopi district, southeast Turkey.

Analysis

Can Turkey’s Bashiqa withdrawal pave the way for deeper Iraq ties?

Ankara hopes the planned handover of its Bashiqa base will deepen security cooperation with Baghdad and unlock broader economic ties, but implementation hinges on restoring Iraqi state authority in Sinjar, where previous efforts to remove armed groups have stalled.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

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

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.

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.

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

People walk past election posters for Turkey's Prime Minister and presidential candidate Tayyip Erdogan (L), Turkish main opposition presidential candidate Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu (R) and Selahattin Demirtas, co-chairman of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democracy Party (HDP) and presidential candidate in Istanbul August 8, 2014. Erdogan is set to secure his place in history as Turkey's first popularly-elected president on Sunday, but his tightening grip on power has polarised the nation, worried Western allies and

Erdogan's divisive politics will give him first-round victory

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's fervent ethnic and religious discrimination will enable him to win in the first round of Turkey's presidential election.

Director Fatih Akin attends the "Soul Kitchen" premiere at the Sala Grande during the 66th Venice Film Festival September 10, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (ITALY ENTERTAINMENT) - RTR27OBA

First Turkish film to show Armenian genocide wins harsh reception

A film by German-Turkish director Fatih Akin on the Armenian genocide is under attack in Turkey even before its release.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (C), his family and AK Party (AKP) members attend a meeting where he is named as his party's candidate for the country's first direct presidential election in Ankara July 1, 2014. Tayyip Erdogan declared his candidacy on Tuesday for a more powerful presidency which rivals fear may entrench authoritarian rule and supporters, especially conservative Muslims, see as the crowning prize in his drive to reshape NATO member Turkey. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS

The cult of Erdogan

Turkey’s ruling party and its supporters have come to attribute quasi-divine qualities to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, creating a personality cult that reinforces concerns over social peace in Turkey.

Must-see TV: Erdogan's new campaign movie

To understand the current political psychology among Turkey’s religious conservatives, you must see the new three-minute propaganda film Erdogan’s team launched in preparation for the presidential elections.

Turkey's Central Bank headquarters is seen in Ankara January 24, 2014. Turkey received a vote of confidence in its underlying economic health on Thursday, with foreign investors lapping up a $2.5 billion eurobond issue even as a corruption scandal swirled and the central bank intervened to prop up the lira. The graft investigation, one of the biggest threats to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's 11-year rule, has shaken Turkey in recent weeks, helping send the lira into a tailspin and heightening uncertainty a

Will US court’s Argentina verdict impact Turkey?

Argentina's recently declared bankruptcy may set a risky precedent for high-debt countries like Turkey.

Residents inspect damage at a site which activists said was caused by a suicide bomber in the middle of a market last night in Tirbespiye village, east Qamishli, June 15, 2014. Activists claim that 14 people died due to the explosion, seven of them are Arab and the other seven are Kurds, while 25 were injured. REUTERS/Massoud Mohammed (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3TWNH

Kurdish security chief: Turkey must end support for jihadists

The head of the Syrian Kurdish security police forces, Ciwan Ibrahim, tells Al-Monitor that they are willing to cooperate with Turkey if it halts its support for jihadist groups.

A demonstrator hold pictures of Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen (R), during a protest against Turkey's ruling AK Party (AKP), demanding the resignation of Erdogan, in Istanbul December 30, 2013. Erdogan swore on Sunday he would survive a corruption crisis circling his cabinet, saying those seeking his overthrow would fail just like mass anti-government protests last summer. Gulen denies involvement in stirring up the graft case, but he regularly censures Erdogan, a

Inside Turkey's wiretapped world

A firsthand account of just one of the many wiretapping cases that are happening in Turkey, where government corruption and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's obsession with the Gulen community is the primary cause of a massive abuse of public authority.

A fighter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) holds an ISIL flag and a weapon on a street in the city of Mosul, June 23, 2014. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held crisis talks with leaders of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region on Tuesday urging them to stand with Baghdad in the face of a Sunni insurgent onslaught that threatens to dismember the country. Picture taken June 23, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3VIB1

Turkey wakes up to Islamic State threat

An inflammatory sermon in Istanbul has made Turkey realize that the Islamic State has become a serious threat to its internal security and stability.

Turkey's Prime Minister and presidential candidate Tayyip Erdogan (C) greets his supporters during an election rally in Istanbul August 3, 2014. Turkey will vote for its first directly-elected president on August 10. The slogan in the background taht reads: "Add more strength to Turkey's power" REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR41360

Erdogan’s presidential rivals fight for airtime

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is accused of employing unfair advantages in his election campaign.

Share prices are seen on a screen alongside flags at the Istanbul Stock Exchange October 14, 2011. Picture taken October 14, 2011. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTR2SSND

Turkish stock market gains 40% in six months

The Istanbul stock exchange has been the most profitable investment instrument in Turkey since the beginning of the year, followed by Turkish lira deposits and bonds.

Palestinian youths take part during a rally in support of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (seen on banner), at the Seaport of Gaza City June 18, 2013. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10RQC

Gazans irritated as Turkey focuses only on Hamas

While some Gazans see Turkey as a true supporter of Gaza, others see it as a supporter of only Hamas and question Turkey’s sincerity.

Does Iran benefit from Gaza crisis?

Iran reconsiders Hamas ties; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fixation on Iran may have distracted him from the threat from Hamas; Asmaa Al-Ghoul reports from Gaza; the Islamic State offers no support for Hamas.