Turkey - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

March 19, 2026

Ankara 9:02 am

11°C

A Patriot anti-missile battery launcher, deployed by Dutch NATO soldiers, is seen March 11, 2003 at the Diyarbakir military airport in southeastern Turkey.

NATO deploys new Patriot battery to Turkey as Fidan in Riyadh for regional talks

The deployment to a key Turkish airbase likely signals NATO planners’ heightened concern over Turkey’s military assets.

An Iraqi oil tanker waits at the Khawr Abd Allah canal leading up to Al-Faw port in southern Iraq, on June 6, 2024.

Desperate to sell its oil, Iraq turns to Turkey amid standoff with Kurds

As Iraq looks to reroute oil to Turkey, Baghdad is also using the plan to push the Iraqi Kurds to greenlight exports through their territory.

Ali IHSAN OZTURK / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

No strangers to turmoil, Turkey-Iran to maintain ties under Mojtaba Khamenei

Even as war heighten tensions between Ankara and Tehran, the mix of rivalry and pragmatic cooperation that has long defined Turkey–Iran relations is likely to endure.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Feature

Iranians crossing into Turkey haunted by regime crackdown more than war

Iranian nationals arrive in Turkey after passing through the Razi-Kapikoy border crossing in Van, northeastern Turkey, on March 3, 2026.

Ezgi Akin

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

Analysis

Oil-price hikes from Iran war threaten Turkey's rate cuts in inflation fight

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

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

Analysis

Oil crisis stokes inflation risks for Mideast as Iran war exposes importers

Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Armenia PM wishes Turkey’s Erdogan happy Eid as Azerbaijan targets Nagorno-Karabakh

Diplomatic sources say the call comes amid an ongoing effort aimed at getting Turkey to rein in an increasingly aggressive Azerbaijan.

Activists of the "Alliance against NATO" network hold a banner reading "No to NATO! - No alliance with fascists" during a demonstration for freedom of speech and association, in support of democratic forces in Turkey and against Swedish NATO membership, on June 4, 2023 in Stockholm, Sweden. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Stockholm city centre to demonstrate against Sweden's NATO bid and new anti-terror legislation, despite Ankara's objections. (Photo by Maja SUSLIN / TT News Agency / AFP) / S

Analysis

Turkey fumes at Quran burning in Sweden ahead of critical NATO talks

As a new protest adds a further layer of stress in NATO talks between Turkey and Sweden, analysts believe that prospects are "close to zero" for the Nordic nation’s accession to the alliance before the bloc’s summit.

Ezgi Akin

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

Muslim worshippers take pictures of each other after attending the Eid al-Adha morning prayers at Doha's Education City Stadium, which hosted matches during Qatar's 2022 FIFA World Cup, on the first day of the Muslim holiday on June 28, 2023. Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, marks the end of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Qatar seen most peaceful in Middle East as Israel dips, Turkey ties Iran: GPI

The Global Peace Index placed Turkey as the least peaceful country in Europe ranking, and tied with Iran as the 147th most peaceful country globally.

A screen grab from a video of Merdan Yanardag uploaded April 14, 2023.

Turkey arrests prominent TV journalist over criticizing Ocalan's isolation

Journalist Merdan Yanardag’s arrest comes amid a post-election climate in which many journalists feel threatened, according to media watchdogs.

A woman walks in a hallway at Sehit Duran primary school in Adana, Turkey, March 18, 2019.

Culture

Turkey’s conservatives tighten grip on schools as imams appointed ‘spiritual counselors’

Pro-secular parties and education unions launch a series of protests after Izmir's Religious Affairs Office, the local branch of Turkey’s powerful Diyanet, assigns imams and preachers to one-third of elementary and secondary schools for spiritual guidance.

Saudi-Iran-China

New Al-Monitor Newsletter: The China-Middle East Briefing

Sign up to stay on top of China's quickly growing role in the region.

Women chant slogans in front of the Istanbul courthouse in Istanbul on April 5, 2023.

Turkey denies female inmate access to tampons

Imposing a long-held taboo, Turkish authorities have denied a female inmate’s access to disposable tampons.

Ferries and tourist boats navigate the Bosphorus on June 22, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey holds up NATO defense strategy over straits amid Sweden standoff

As the July NATO summit approaches, Turkish demands over the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, among other issues, are reportedly holding up a defense strategy overhaul, the most ambitious since the end of the Cold War.

People wait to exchange money at a currency exchange shop on June 23, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Turkish Lira weakened to a record low of 25.74 against the dollar, a day after the central bank hiked interest rates from 8.5 percent to 15 percent in the first rate decision since the appointment of new central bank governor Hafize Gaye Erkan and the re-election of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Turkey’s smaller-than-expected rate hike comes as relief for banks

Turkey’s new economic chiefs are scrambling to navigate a return to rational policies as the lira continues to tumble, threatening to stoke inflation.

People queue to buy olive oil, which is sold cheaply by the Agricultural Products Office in Ankara, among soaring inflation in the country, Feb. 17, 2022.

Turkey hikes interest rates by 6.5 percentage points to 15%

The move by the central bank marks a dramatic departure from President Erdogan's yearslong policy of low rates.

This photograph taken on June 7, 2023, shows an Qatar Airways Airbus A320 aircraft landing at the newly opened runway of Belgrade Nikola Tesla airport. The opening of Belgrade airport's new runway marked the completion of one of the major infrastructure projects undertaken by French operator Vinci, since taking over the concession in late 2018. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP) (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images)

Qatar, Turkey, UAE airlines ranked among top 10 globally: Skytrax

Qatar Airways lost the top spot, while Saudia and Oman Air made big jumps.

Astana talks

Few signs of progress at Turkey-Syria normalization talks in Astana

Syrian president sees no need to compromise, while UN representative admits 'comprehensive solution is not doable.'