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

Turkey

Turkey

July 6, 2026

Ankara 7:55 pm

24°C

ABIR SULTAN / AFP via Getty Images

Israel, Greece conduct military drills ahead of NATO summit in Turkey

Photos published by the Greek military showed fighter jets from both countries flying side by side over the Aegean Sea.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech after a signing ceremony with Libyan Government of National Unity prime minister at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on April 12, 2021.

Analysis

In Libya, maritime dispute could complicate Turkey’s backing of US unity push

Turkey and the US increasingly share an interest in stabilizing Libya through a Tripoli-Benghazi power-sharing deal, though their alignment may hinge on the durability of any such deal and Washington's stance on Ankara's disputed 2019 maritime agreement.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A screenshot of one of Deniz Goktas' standup routines posted to YouTube.

Culture

Turkish standup comic detained after act calling Erdogan 'dictator' goes viral

Comedian Deniz Goktas’ arrest comes as Ankara intensifies prosecutions against opposition figures, journalists, artists and critics ahead of a major NATO summit.

Latest News

Turkish jets strike al-Shabab targets in Somalia: What to know

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Explainer

Turkey eases job rules for 1M+ Syrians under temporary protection: What to know

Syrian textile employees work in a textile workshop in Gaziantep, Turkey, on Jan. 30, 2025.

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

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 market

Turkey's ruling party elites love to splurge while preaching frugality

Turkey's Justice and Development Party is preaching belt-tightening to a suffering public, but will party leaders' often profligate spending cancel out the economic — and political — message?

Cavusoglu and Lavrov

After gestures to US, Turkey turns to placating Russia

Turkey is back to its balancing act between Moscow and Washington after a series of moves to win favor with the Biden administration at the expense of irritating Russia.

A photo of Orhan Inandi provided to the media by the Turkish government.

Kyrgyzstan denies role in Turkey's rendition of Gulen-linked educator

While the Kyrgyz government has denied helping Turkish intelligence services kidnap a Turkish-Kyrgyz educator, rights groups say it's unlikely that he could have been taken otherwise.

Iraqi riot police protect the Turkish embassy in Baghdad on Feb. 18, 2021 after calls on social media to gather outside the Turkish embassy to protest Turkey's vows to invade the northwestern enclave of Sinjar.

Turkey’s anti-PKK assault leaves Kurds more divided

Turkey’s unremitting assault against the PKK is destabilizing Iraqi Kurdistan, weakening the rebels on the one hand while bolstering support for them among disaffected locals on the other.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Pro-Kurdish lawmaker released from Turkish prison after five-day delay

Pro-Kurdish lawmaker Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu was finally released from prison Tuesday, five days after Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled his rights had been violated in his detention.

Turkey's Oruc Reis seismic research vessel

Erdogan: Turkey will continue oil exploration in disputed eastern Mediterranean

Turkey's president may be upping the ante against Greece, Cyprus and the European Union.

Syrian youth training in Aleppo

US adds Turkey to list of countries using child soldiers

A US State Department report called out Turkey for providing support to armed groups in Syria that use children in combat.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan’s rapprochement with Egypt comes at expense of Brotherhood

Turkey's strong support for the Muslim Brotherhood has created a robust diaspora of its members in Turkey, but it is fast becoming a burden on Turkish foreign policy.

BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's illegal renditions of Syrian nationals back in spotlight

Critics say the arrest of Syrian citizens and their extradition to Turkey violates Turkish and international humanitarian law.

Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi delivers speech at the Imam Reza shrine in the city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, on June 22, 2021.

The Takeaway: Iran deal on front burner before Raisi takes office

Also: Bibi plots his comeback, a woman boxing coach trains men in Egypt, and the latest from Gaza, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (L) attends the second international Libya conference on June 23, 2021, in Berlin, Germany.

Turkey stalls on withdrawal of foreign forces from Libya

Turkey might have managed to stave off pressure in the Berlin conference on Libya, but as the December elections near, the Turkish military presence in the country will remain a source of tension.

Islamic State suspects in prison in Hasakah, Syria

Turkey's mixed record against Islamic State

Structural problems continue to keep Turkey from putting in place a comprehensive strategy to combat Islamic State elements in the country, despite numerous operations against networks linked to the radical Islamist group.