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

Turkey

Turkey

May 14, 2026

Ankara 11:06 am

21°C

Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible

The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future.

Mazloum Kobane

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shake hands before a meeting at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

Turkey, Armenia to launch direct trade in normalization push: What to know

The move removes a decades-old reexport mechanism routed largely through Georgia as Ankara and Yerevan step up normalization efforts.

The helicopter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lands on Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on Aug. 9, 2022, before being sent for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Gazipasa.

New Turkey maritime draft bill fuels EastMed tensions with Greece, Cyprus

Turkey’s draft maritime bill seeks to formalize Ankara’s claims in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black seas, raising tensions with Greece and Cyprus over contested maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights.

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border.

Latest News

Analysis

From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 06: A man poses for a photograph in front of the newly unveiled, Turkish made intercontinental ballistic missile Yildirimhan at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. The International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition, showcased Turkish and foreign companies new products and technology. The expo was dominated by UAV products as modern warfare increasingly shifts to drone and unmanned technologies. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/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

Protestors with flags of Kurdistan scuffle with policemen in plain clothes during a May Day demonstration in Istanbul, Turkey, May 1, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - LR1EC510RJ66T

Turkish judiciary toughens stance on ‘Kurdistan’ groups

The word “Kurdistan” is once again becoming taboo in Turkey, with the judiciary targeting parties and civic groups that use the word in their names.

Will Uighurs upend Turkey-China relations?

Ankara’s angry outburst over the alleged death of a renowned Uighur folk musician while in Chinese detention has exposed the weakness of Turkey’s claims of defending the minority and its dire need to maintain good relations with Beijing.

European Union Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier speaks during a plenary session of the EU Parliament in Brussels, Belgium January 30, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RC1E5D8D6500

EU committee calls for suspending Turkish accession talks over rights violations

The EU Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has called for freezing accession talks with Ankara as Turkish prosecutors seek life sentences for philanthropist Osman Kavala and 15 other Turks.

Turkey may help Moscow with Afghan negotiations

Russia is increasing its mediation efforts in Afghanistan as the United States plans its exit.

Turkey succumbs to US court summons, readies defense over DC violence

The Turkish government hires law firm and gets 55-day extension from a US district court in a case where Erdogan's bodyguards beat protesters two years ago in Washington.

U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 10, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller - RC1496DEC310

Families fret as Turkey's Gulenist purge continues

Plainclothes operatives captured two more alleged followers of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen in broad daylight in Ankara and they have not been heard from since.

Why did Turkey deport alleged Muslim Brotherhood member?

Is the extradition of an alleged Muslim Brotherhood member to Egypt a simple bureaucratic glitch or a sign of Erdogan’s change of heart toward the Egyptian organization?

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attend a news conference, after a meeting in the Black sea resort of Sochi, Russia, 14 February 2019. Sergei Chirikov/Pool via REUTERS - RC1212462F00

Erdogan denied Syrian opportunity to shore up electoral fortunes

The outcome of the Sochi summit suggests that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s prospects of launching a new operation in Syria ahead of the March 31 local elections to win back voters disgruntled over economic woes have greatly diminished.

Turkey running out of native soccer players to sing anthem

Turkish soccer is facing an invasion of foreign players while failing to train promising locals.

Turkey’s agricultural decline drags down related industries

The alarming decline in Turkey’s agriculture, the core reason behind soaring food prices, is having a spillover effect on agro-industries, especially the food and beverage sector as well as other industries that manufacture inputs for the agricultural sector.

People shop in a pharmacy that did not participate in a protest in Ankara December 4, 2009. Pharmacies shut down all over Turkey on Friday for one day to protest price discounts on drugs enforced by the government. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY POLITICS HEALTH CONFLICT) - GM1E5C41P5H01

Patients left without medicine amid Turkey’s economic woes

Turkey's economic turmoil, coupled with restrictive government regulations, has led pharmaceutical companies to curb supplies, with 20% of patients returning empty-handed from drugstores, according to sector representatives.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan walk during their meeting in the Black sea resort of Sochi, Russia, 14 February 2019. Sergei Chirikov/Pool via REUTERS - RC1506773F00

Turkey fails to win green light for safe zone at Syria summit

Iran and Russia’s leaders tell President Recep Tayyip Erdogan he must acquire consent from Damascus to launch an offensive in northeast Syria against Kurdish forces.