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

Turkey

Turkey

July 13, 2026

Ankara 2:08 pm

30°C

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose after signing a defense partnership agreement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Analysis

From S-400s to SAMP/T: Turkey’s defense pivot gathers pace after NATO summit

Turkey is seeking to turn the diplomatic momentum from the Ankara NATO summit into a broad defense realignment spanning US sanctions relief and fighter technology, European air defenses and deeper military cooperation with the UK.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Lebanese PM Salam in Turkey as Erdogan seeks wider regional role

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to Turkey comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently warned that Israeli attacks against Lebanon and Syria threaten Turkey’s security.

Latest News

In first, Russia confirms S-400 talks with Turkey amid transfer reports to acquire F-35

AFP via Getty Images

Turkey brokers intra-Somalia talks as federal rifts test Ankara’s influence

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Trump 'undecided' on Turkey's F-35s as Congress seeks answers on S-400

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

Russian paper gives Erdogan poor marks at Libya peace conference

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not get what he wanted at the Libya peace conference in Berlin, but how much of a setback was that for Turkey?

Archaeology clashes with development in Turkey's ancient city of Sagalassos

Excavated since 1990 by Belgian and Turkish archaeologists, Sagalassos offers not only a visit through majestic Roman monuments but also a glimpse on how people lived, worked, worshipped and died in the past.

Russian President Vladimir†Putin†and Russia's acting Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attend the Libya summit in Berlin, Germany, January 19, 2020. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/Pool - RC27JE9VYMOG

Russia’s 'leading from behind' strategy on Libya

Russia’s Libya policy is less about Libya and more about Europe, hence Moscow’s preference to let the Europeans take the public lead on the conflict.

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi (L) and Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune talk before posing for a family picture during a Peace summit on Libya at the Chancellery in Berlin, on January 19, 2020. - World leaders gather in Berlin on January 19, 2020 to make a fresh push for peace in Libya, in a desperate bid to stop the conflict-wracked nation from turning into a "second Syria". Chancellor Angela Merkel will be joined by the presidents of Russia, Turkey and France and other world leaders for ta

Algeria strives to regain prominence as world powers debate Libya's future

Despite Algeria's best efforts, nine years of conflict in neighboring Libya have essentially brought an international proxy war to Algiers' doorstep.

United Arab Emirates

Iraqi Christians pray during a mass on Christmas Day at St. George Chaldean Church in Baghdad, Iraq December 25, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RC292E9455EU

Iraqi minorities concerned about possible US troop withdrawal

Iraqi minorities are afraid that rising tensions between Iran and the United States might end the US troop presence in the country.

$BERLIN, GERMANY - JANUARY 19, 2020: Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Frances President Emmanuel Macron, Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (L-R front), and US Secretary General Mike Pompeo (3rd L back) pose for a group photograph during a photo session at an international summit on Libya; the summit is to discuss efforts to achieve peace and reconciliation between Libya's government and General Haftar. Mikhail Metzel/TASS (Photo by Mikhail Metzel\TASS via Getty I$

Turkey’s Libya strategy: cure has become worse than disease

The only positive outcome of Turkey’s "tension strategy" on Libya has been paving the way for the Berlin Libya conference on Jan. 14.

A general view of Nizip refugee camp, near the Turkish-Syrian border in Gaziantep province, Turkey, November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC137324E500

What stops return of Syrians in Turkey to area held by Turkish forces?

What stops Syrians in Turkey from returning to the liberated Ras al-Ain?

From Russia with love: Turkish and Syrian spymasters meet in Moscow

The Moscow meeting between the Turkish and Syrian intelligence chiefs could suggest that a normalization process has finally kicked off between Ankara and Damascus.

Last Ottoman viceroy casts shadow on current Turco-Egyptian culture war

After the success of the series "Kingdoms of Fire,” Egyptian cinematographers may have found the next controversial figure that can be used to counter Turkey’s interpretation of Ottoman history on screen: Muhammad Ali Pasha.

CAIRO, EGYPT - (ARCHIVE): A file photo dated on June 23, 2016 shows Anadolu Agency Cairo office in Egypt. Egyptian police raided Cairo office of Anadolu Agency (AA) and detained four employees Tuesday evening on January 15, 2020. The employees were taken to an unknown destination.

(Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Turkey-Egypt row escalates as Anadolu Agency staff detained in Cairo

Tensions are rising between Turkey and Egypt after four Turkish state news agency employees were detained in Cairo.

Court restores Turks' Wikipedia rights in censorship case

The top Turkish court's decision that the three-year ban on Wikipedia violated freedom of expression should have gone into effect after its official publication made it binding on Wednesday, but the website is still inaccessible in Turkey.

Turkey's YouTube gangsters hit mainstream box office

The "Sifir Bir" series set in the southern city of Adana is essentially a constant shootout between dueling street gangs competing for turf, with a bit of the country's turbulent politics.