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

Turkey

Turkey

May 7, 2026

Ankara 11:02 am

14°C

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Ankara comes amid rapidly expanding Turkish-Saudi coordination as the fallout from the Iran war reshapes Gulf security dynamics.

A picture taken near Kars on Feb. 28, 2024 shows the ruins of a bridge over Arpacay river, the natural border between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkey, Armenia agree to restore medieval bridge in normalization push

Ankara is pursuing normalization with Armenia ahead of June parliamentary elections in a thaw also positioned to advance its broader Middle Corridor ambitions.

Sabah Fidan

Turkey hosts Kuwaiti FM as UAE's OAPEC exit fuels Gulf rift

Kuwait's top diplomat visited Turkey as the Gulf rift deepens following the UAE’s exit from OPEC and its affiliated alliances, forcing Ankara to balance ties between Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

Latest News

Analysis

Iraq’s Zaidi offers economic promise for Turkey but unknowns loom

Zaidi

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know

Members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), from the British Army's 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, No. 2 Company, patrol along the buffer zone separating the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the divided capital Nicosia on Feb. 17, 2026.

Turkey advances gas pipeline plan to northern Cyprus as East Med rivalry grows

This aerial photograph shows Turkey's first floating natural gas production platform, "Osman Gazi," passing through the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, on May 29, 2025.

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

People walk past a screen showing rates at a currency exchange agency near Grand bazaar, in Istanbul, on September 24, 2020. - Turkey's central bank on September 24, 2020 raised its main interest for the first time since September 2018, boosting the rate by two percentage points to help the lira recover from historic lows. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

How much damage can Arab states do to Turkish economy?

As Turkey’s Arab adversaries step up efforts to counter Ankara’s actions in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has reportedly started a covert boycott of Turkish goods.

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev (L) talks during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on September 1, 2018. (Photo by Alexey DRUZHININ / Sputnik / AFP) (Photo credit should read ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey backs Azerbaijan in war with Armenia as Russia stands by

The flare-up between Azerbaijan Armenia may have been planned by Azerbaijan and its regional ally Turkey, leaving Russia's intentions in supporting Turkey and Azerbaijan in question.

Military trucks are seen on the side of a road near the village of Zangakatun in Armenia on September 30, 2020. - Armenia and Azerbaijan rejected international calls for negotiations and a halt to fighting as fierce clashes over the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh spilled over into a fourth day on September 30. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Can Azeri-Armenian flare-up grow into big regional conflict?

The Nagorno-Karabagh clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia could evolve into a war of attrition, but none of the regional heavyweights want a conventional war in the region.

Biden criticizes Turkish role in Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict

The Democratic presidential nominee also said Trump should work to de-escalate the war in the Caucus. Turkey has come up in the US presidential race before.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) waves next to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) during his visit to the Naval Support Activity base at Souda, the foremost US naval facility in the eastern Mediterranean on the Greek island of Crete. - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on September 29, 2020, concludes a two-day visit to Greece on with a tour of a strategically vital NATO base on a trip aimed at easing tensions between Greece and Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean. (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS / P

Pompeo says US-Greek relations at 'all-time high,' urges Athens-Ankara talks

In Greece, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Athens and Ankara to resume talks over maritime disputes ahead of an EU summit later this week that is expected to address lingering tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkish prosecutors issue second indictment against suspected Khashoggi killers

Six Saudi nationals join a growing list of accused as Turkey's trial takes on an international dimension.

A picture taken on September 28, 2020 shows an unexploded artillery shell on a road on the outskirts of the Azerbaijani city of Tartar during clashes between Armenian separatists and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region. (Photo by Tofik BABAYEV / AFP) (Photo by TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey backs Azerbaijan against Armenia as war looms over Caucasus

Armenia and Azerbaijan are once again fighting over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in a conflict that could draw in Russia and Turkey.

A demonstrator waves a Turkish and Palestinian flags during a rally at Yenikap? Square, in Istanbul, to protest against the US-made peace plan, also known as the Agreement of the Century,on Februay 9, 2020. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Can Turkey replace Egypt in Palestinian unity process?

The Fatah-Hamas reconciliation talks in Istanbul have fueled debate on whether Turkey could increase its influence over the Palestinians, who are desperate for regional support amid normalization deals between Arab countries and Israel.

Egypt leads international coalition to confront Turkey in eastern Mediterranean

Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Italy signed the charter to transform the EastMed Gas Forum into a regional organization based in Cairo, in an attempt to form an international lobby capable of confronting Turkish ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean.

Intel: Turkey orders arrest of pro-Kurdish politicians over 2014 Kobani protests

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj (L) hold a joint press conference at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on June 4, 2020. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Erdogan weighs next moves in Libya after Sarraj's departure

Ankara is keen to preserve its influence over the Tripoli government and several figures with close ties to Turkey are eyeing the prime minister’s post after the impending departure of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

How Turkey’s ‘zombie’ companies keep afloat

A number of big companies that would have normally gone bust amid Turkey’s economic turmoil are surviving thanks to government favors.