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Turkey

Turkey

September 28, 2026

Ankara 2:54 pm

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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

Men react as others rush at the site of a car bomb attack at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Syria and Turkey, in Idlib January 20, 2014. Two car bombs hit a rebel-held border post in the northwest Syrian province of Idlib on Monday, opposition activists and fighters said, killing at least 10 people and closing the frontier. The Bab al-Hawa crossing is held by a rebel alliance called the Islamic Front, which have been fighting with the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a s

Turkey under pressure over jihadists on border

The recent terrorist bombing at the border and the acrimonious exchange between the Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers at Geneva II hints at the extent to which Turkey has become embroiled in the Syria conflict.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (L) shakes hands with European Union Council President Herman Van Rompuy as he is welcomed ahead of a meeting at the EU council headquarters in Brussels January 21, 2014. REUTERS/Yves Herman (BELGIUM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX17NNJ

Erdogan briefs EU on ‘rule of judiciary’ danger

During a trip to Brussels, Erdogan tells EU leaders about Gulenist activities in the judiciary, where the community wields huge influence, and explains his vision for Syria.

Turkish riot police stand guard at the Oncupinar border crossing to stop demonstrators in the Turkish-Syrian border town of Kilis, Gaziantep province, January 12, 2012. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR2W6OR

Turkey seals border against al-Qaeda

Turkey has closed its gates after al-Qaeda captured three border crossings into northern Syria, with potential implications for armed groups operating in Syria.

President of Syrian Opposition Coalition Ahmed Asi Al-Jerba (2nd L), along with members of the Syrian Opposition Coalition Dr. Burhan Ghalioun (L), Michel Kilo (3rd L) and Samir Shishakli (R) meet with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (not pictured) at the United States Mission to the United Nations in New York, July 25, 2013. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX11Z6N

SOC member Michel Kilo claims evidence of Assad links to ISIS

In an exclusive interview, veteran Syrian opposition figure Michel Kilo tells Al-Monitor, "If Walid Moallem will talk about terrorism, he will receive a true lecture about terrorists."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) listens as U.S. President Barack Obama (R) addresses a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden in Washington, May 16, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZPBL

Obama's new problem: Turkey

The Obama administration should not underestimate the depth of Turkey’s domestic crisis and its implications for US-Turkey ties.

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem listens to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (R) as they wait for lunch during a break in the Geneva-2 peace talks in Montreux January 22, 2014. Syria's government and opposition, meeting for the first time, angrily spelled out their mutual hostility on Wednesday at a U.N. peace conference where world powers also offered sharply divergent views on forcing out Bashar al-Assad. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann (SWITZERLAND - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX17PZ

Moallem: Aleppo proposal a response to Kerry's call for local cease-fires

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Walid Moallem said he proposed a plan for ending military operations in Aleppo last week in response to US Secretary of State John Kerry's appeal for a cease-fire there.

Israeli soldiers look across the border to Syria in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights August 30, 2013. Israel ordered a small-scale mobilisation of reservists on Wednesday and strengthened its missile defences as precautions against possible Syrian attack should Western powers carry out threatened strikes on Syria. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (MILITARY POLITICS) - RTX131QH

Israel recognizes Assad's staying power

Israel shifts its strategic posture, recognizing that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is staying on and that a jihadist alternative would be even worse.

Patriot missile batteries are pictured at their positions near the city of Kahramanmaras, February 23, 2013. Germany's defence minister inspected Patriot missile batteries close to the Syria-Turkey border on Saturday and said they delivered a "clear warning" to Damascus that NATO would not tolerate missiles being fired into Turkey. Thomas de Maiziere and his Dutch counterpart Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert travelled to the Turkish cities of Adana and Kahramanmaras to inspect the batteries provided by their coun

Syria-bound trucks put spotlight on Turkey

Turkish opposition politicians and many in the public are questioning why trucks associated with Turkish intelligence may have been carrying arms to radical groups in Syria.

Turkish intelligence service trucks reveal secrets

Did trucks linked to Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization facilitate the smuggling of weapons to rebel forces in Syria?

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Co-chairman Selahattin Demirtas addresses members of the parliament from his party and audience members during a meeting at theTurkish parliament in Ankara January 8, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3C7GS

Kurdish movement worries crisis in Turkey might undo the 'peace process'

The Kurdish movement is giving conditional support to Erdogan and his party, which are experiencing a serious legitimacy crisis as a result of corruption and bribery allegations.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan greets his supporters as he arrives for a meeting at the parliament in Ankara January 14, 2014. Erdogan looks to have the upper hand in a civil war rocking Turkey's political establishment, but his bid to break the influence of a potent Islamic cleric could roll back reforms and undermine hard-won business confidence. What erupted a month ago as a damaging inquiry into alleged government corruption has spiralled into a battle over the judiciary with potentially much fu

Erdogan vs. Gulen: Who has God on his side?

Political secularism may be the best path to moderation.

Russia, Iran set stage for Geneva II; Turkey’s slow turnaround on Syria

Russian and Iranian diplomacy have helped shape the Geneva II agenda to include a cease-fire, humanitarian relief and counterterrorism in Syria.