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

Turkey

Turkey

August 30, 2026

Ankara 4:25 pm

24°C

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrive for a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Feb. 4, 2025.

Analysis

Why Turkey welcomes Israel-Syria talks despite mounting red lines

Turkey supports US-backed Israel-Syria talks but sees little prospect of a lasting accommodation until the Israeli elections.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Barcelona

Culture

In divided Cyprus, FC Barcelona youth camp sparks new dispute: What to know

A planned Barca Academy camp in northern Cyprus has offered more fuel to the controversy over the island’s unresolved divide, rasing tensions over recognition, access and international isolation.

Latest News

Top European court says Kavala case exposes erosion of judicial independence in Turkey

Omer Messinger/Getty Images

Explainer

Turkey’s Kurdish peace process moves to implementation: What to know and what’s next

Equality and Democracy Party lawmakers

Exclusive

Israel recalibrates Syria policy, explores path to security deal

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (C) watches as US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack prepares to sign an agreement in Damascus on September 16, 2025. Shaibani announced on September 16 a plan backed by Jordan and the United States to restore calm to Druze-majority Sweida province, which witnessed deadly violence in July. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

graves

Feature

Families of Kurdish journalists slain in suspected Turkish drone strike in Syria want their remains

Ankara’s refusal to repatriate the journalists' remains underscores the political stakes of acknowledging the drone strike.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Ozgur Ozel, head of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), gestures toward supporters during a rally in support of arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Ankara, April 23, 2025.

Turkish prosecutors probe main opposition leader Ozel, oust mayors

The probes, following Ozel's criticism of the judiciary, come amid five additional district mayors' dismissal from their duties.

US special envoy for Syria, the ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a flag-raising ceremony at the US ambassador's residence in Damascus on May 29, 2025 for the first time since 2011. Barrack's visit to Syria marks a new step in the rapprochement between the two countries following the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP) (Photo by RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images)

US envoy Barrack in Israel after cross-border shelling with Syria: What to know

US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack met Wednesday with Israeli officials in an effort to de-escalate ongoing tensions with Syria and Turkey.

Price tags of olives are seen at a store on March 3, 2025, in Istanbul, Turkey

As Turkey's inflation dips to 35%, will central bank pivot on interest rates?

Inflation has slowed to the lowest level since 2021, sparking speculation that the central bank could resume easing monetary policy amid mounting pressure on Turkey's finance chief — but analysts caution against a rush.

Kurdish Syrians demonstrate in the Syrian eastern city of Qamishli to demand the release of the jailed founder of the Kurdistan Workers Party, Abdullah Ocalan, in Turkey, on May 29, 2025.

Exclusive

Ankara’s direct talks with Syrian Kurds began last year in Europe, continue in Turkey

The talks are part of a sweeping effort to end Turkey’s decades-long war with the PKK and reshape Ankara’s relationship with Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Aerial view of the amount of destruction left in the Maarat al-Numan neighborhood after the end of the Syrian civil war in Idlib, Syria, on March 13, 2025. Located between the three major cities of Aleppo, Hama, and Damascus, the city of Idlib is a historically and strategically important city that went through years of destruction in the course of the Syrian civil war. (Photo by Omar Albaw / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by OMAR ALBAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Turkey's big Syria play: Rebuild, but only if Gulf can pay for it

As sanctions on Syria ease, Turkey is hoping to turn economic engagement into regional influence and encourage refugee returns.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Greece's prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during the 1st High Cooperation Council between Greece and Egypt at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece on May 7, 2025. (Photo by Dimitris Kapantais / SOOC / SOOC via AFP) (Photo by DIMITRIS KAPANTAIS/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Egypt walks tightrope between Turkey thaw and warmer Cyprus, Greece ties

Analysts believe Egypt's rapprochement with Turkey will not affect its long-standing relations with Cyprus and Greece given the mutual benefits they share.

Sara Sherif

RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

US Syria envoy Barrack calls Kurdish SDF chief Kobane as Turkey mulls meeting

Sources tell Al-Monitor that Turkish officials have proposed a high-level meeting with SDF commander Mazlum Kobane in Damascus, contingent on the outcome of ongoing talks with Syria’s interim government.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Kurdish youths holds a poster of jailed PKK militant group leader Abdullah Ocalan during Newroz celebrations, on March 21, 2025, in Diyarbakir, Turkey.

Turkey unveils prison reform bill, but Kurds say it falls short

The proposed changes would expand conditional release for some inmates but fail to meet demands of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party amid peace efforts.