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Turkey

Turkey

June 18, 2026

Ankara 8:20 am

21°C

A Turkish police officers patrols at the scene of a motor-bike bomb explosion, next to a police station on Oct. 6, 2016, in Istanbul.

Turkey captures alleged ISIS-K media chief near Afghanistan-Pakistan border

The capture comes as Turkish authorities intensify raids against Islamic State networks following recent attacks and alleged plots.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Orthodox Patriarch of Bartholomew at the presidential complex, Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2026.

Culture

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary

The meeting comes ahead of US President Trump’s expected attendance at next month's NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey, after Trump personally urged his Turkish counterpart to reopen the Halki Seminary.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 22, 2026.

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Moscow as S-400 sanctions issue returns to fore

The visit comes weeks before Turkey hosts NATO leaders, on the sidelines of which Ankara hopes to reach a deal with Washington over CAATSA sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400s.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

The latest Erdogan-Netanyahu clash underscored how Turkey-Israel tensions have grown beyond the Palestinian issue and into a wider regional rivalry spanning Syria, Lebanon, Iran and the eastern Mediterranean.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Feature

Turkey’s World Cup return clouded by politics, dawn kickoffs

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

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

Why was deal to evacuate Syrian towns brokered by Qatar and Iran?

A deal brokered by Qatar and Iran that ignores Turkey and Russia — the largest respective sponsors of the opposition and the regime in Syria — threatens to derail broader peace talks aimed at ending the tragic civil war.

Men ride a motorbike past a hazard sign at a site hit by an airstrike on Tuesday in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria April 5, 2017. The hazard sign reads, "Danger, unexploded ammunition". REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah - RTX3475J

Proof of poison gas in Syria massacre could reshape war

Now that autopsies have revealed evidence that chemical weapons were used in the attack in Idlib, calls are louder than ever for action against the Syrian regime and the United States could well respond with force.

Why did Erdogan sign emergency decree on laser hair removal?

In a last ditch effort to mobilize the "yes" vote for the April 16 referendum, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan resorts to unconventional methods, shocking Islamists and seculars in Turkey.

Interview

PKK leader: International mediation needed on Kurdish issue

In an exclusive interview, Al-Monitor met Cemil Bayik, one of the main leaders of the Kurdistan Workers Party, in northern Iraq's Qandil Mountains to talk about the current dispute between the Kurds and Turkey and its impact on Iraq.

Cemil Bayik

Cemil Bayik

Founder of the PKK

Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold "Yes" campaign flags and "Yes" banners during a rally for the upcoming referendum in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, Turkey April 3, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX33WEX

Congress raises specter of rupture with Turkey if referendum passes

A House panel slammed Ankara's authoritarian drift ahead of the April 16 vote.

Turkish Parliament convene to debate on the proposed constitutional changes in Ankara, Turkey, January 12, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2YN10

Will Turkey allow 18-year-old members of parliament?

One of the proposed amendments to Turkey’s constitution is the lowering of the age of candidacy for parliament to 18. What does that mean for Turkey's youth?

A money changer counts Turkish lira bills at an currency exchange office in central Istanbul, Turkey, August 21, 2015. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo - RTSKTP9

Why Turkey’s growth data has economists scratching their heads

Turkey’s latest growth data, which suggests the economy rebounded strongly in the fourth quarter of 2016, appears out of sync with other key indicators, fueling doubts over Ankara’s new calculation method.

A Syrian man receives treatment at a small hospital in the town of Maaret al-Noman following a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a nearby rebel-held town in Syrias northwestern Idlib province, on April 4, 2017.
Warplanes carried out a suspected toxic gas attack that killed at least 35 people including several children, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said those killed in the town of Khan Sheikhun, in Idlib province, had died from the effects of the gas, adding tha

Turkish outrage mounts as doctors point to neurotoxin in Idlib attack

In Turkish hospitals, medical staff including a team from Doctors Without Borders report mounting evidence that victims of yesterday's attack may have been exposed to sarin or a similar toxin.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces celebrate Newroz Day, a festival marking spring and the new year, in Kirkuk March 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed - RTX31W8R

Anger in Ankara over Iraqi Kurdish independence moves

Given its close ties with the Kurdistan Regional Government, which it needs for economic, political and security interests, Turkey’s objections to Iraqi Kurdish plans remain low key, but a crisis between the sides may nevertheless be looming.

Turkish candy giant gets not-so-sweet reaction to April Fools' Day ad

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s supporters detected hidden message for a new military coup in a TV ad by Ulker, Turkey’s biggest chocolate company.

A civil defence member breathes through an oxygen mask, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX33ZAV

'Inhuman' chemical attack tests Turkey's relations with Russia

An apparent chemical attack has ravaged a small rebel-held Syrian town and Turkey has found itself in the middle of the aftermath, torn between supporting anti-Assad rebels and its need to ally with Russia.

A Turkish soldier on an armoured military vehicle surveys the border line between Turkey and Syria, near the southeastern city of Kilis, Turkey, March 2, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTS115IB

Can Turkey afford new battlefront in Iraq?

Turkey has labeled Operation Euphrates Shield a "success" and put it to bed, leaving observers to wonder about the Turkish military's next ambitions.