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

Turkey

Turkey

May 8, 2026

Ankara 4:04 pm

22°C

People look at a drone on display at the Baykar exhibit at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey, Japan launch defense industry partnership with eye on drones

The initiative could eventually lead to joint UAV development and production as Japan looks to expand drone capabilities amid regional tensions.

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.

Latest News

Turkey, Armenia agree to restore medieval bridge in normalization push

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

Sabah Fidan

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

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

Jailed musician dies after nearly yearlong hunger strike in Turkey

Grup Yorum's Ibrahim Gokcek died two days after suspending his “death fast."

Turkish soldiers stand on top of a tank in the border town of Akcakale in Sanliurfa province, Turkey, October 11, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC146E7AC710

Turkey's occupation of northern Syria includes population transfers

Turkey’s transfer of Syrian families to Tell Abyad from Afrin has reignited worries of demographic engineering in northern Syria.

Soccer Football - Super Lig - Galatasaray v Besiktas - Turk Telekom Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey - March 15, 2020 Besiktas' Victor Ruiz in action as the match is played behind closed doors as the number of coronavirus cases grow around the world REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC2GKF9C7ZHA

Turkish soccer to welcome back players — but not fans

Turkey's professional soccer teams will begin playing in empty stadiums in June, the Turkish Football Federation president said Wednesday.

Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak attends a news conference in Istanbul, Turkey, April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1F2BCF1610

Turkey's finance minister assures investors as lira slides

As Turkey’s currency neared record lows Wednesday, Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak worked to reassure investors in a rare conference call.

People wearing face masks shop at Eminonu district, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, May 4, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC2PHG9O2XF1

Turkey's relative coronavirus success may turn sour amid looming economic crisis

Turkey’s COVID-19 balance sheet: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has had relative success in combat against the outbreak, but a financial collapse could be on the horizon.

Alan Dershowitz leaves the Manhattan Federal Court in New York, following a status conference in the defamation lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre against Dershowitz over discovery issues, in Manhattan, New York, U.S., December 2, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar - RC23ND9YXY2I

Trump defender Dershowitz, other star lawyers begin work for Azeri-Turkish billionaire

An international team of lawyers will represent Azeri-Turkish billionaire Mubariz Mansimov Gurbanoglu, a shipping magnate who has been held on terrorism charges in Istanbul since March 17.

How COVID-19 threatens Istanbul's cultural heritage

The novel coronavirus pandemic presents multiple threats to Istanbul's cultural heritage, both decimating tourism and distracting from destructive development projects.

Turkey grapples with manufacturing downturn, weak demand amid pandemic

As demand and manufacturing output dip during the novel coronavirus crisis in Turkey, analysts warn inflation may rise in the coming months.

Turkish army tank is being unloaded on a road near the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar, Sanliurfa province, Turkey, October 18, 2019. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov - RC13BD854EE0

Is Turkish defense industry’s ‘success story’ turning sour?

Growing investment in technology development is a promising sign for Turkey’s defense industry, but a series of structural problems that remain unresolved could damage the sector’s prospects.

Riot police prevent LGBT rights activists from marching for a pride parade, which was banned by the governorship, in central Istanbul, Turkey, June 30, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC177BE85A00

Turkey’s gay community fights homophobia alongside COVID-19

Prosecutors have launched a probe into the bar associations that condemned the head of the state-run religious affairs directorate, for claiming homosexuals are spreading the pandemic.

Oil Production Platform Offshore Sinai Coast

Is Egypt trying to provoke Turkey in eastern Mediterranean?

Although Egypt has stopped liquefying and exporting liquefied natural gas due to the global collapse of prices as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it is still expanding its gas production in the eastern Mediterranean.

A woman wearing a protective face mask walks in a market at Eminonu neighbourhood during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, March 23, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC2MPF9PPR1K

Turkey’s politicians spar over masks, bread in coronavirus response

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists his government should spearhead the fight against the pandemic and has stymied relief efforts in opposition-held cities, forcing local officials to come up with creative ways to deliver aid.