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

Turkey

Turkey

March 21, 2026

Ankara 11:36 am

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Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (2L) arrive to address a joint press conference in Doha on March 19, 2026. (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey, Qatar pledge to deepen defense ties, blame Israel for Iran war

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s trip to Doha is part of a Gulf tour that began Wednesday in Riyadh, as Iran continues to strike energy assets across the region.

A view of the oil refinery on March 17, 2026 in Erbil, Iraq.

Exclusive

Iraqi oil flows to Turkey after US pledges role in Baghdad-Kurds customs dispute

A US-brokered breakthrough between Baghdad and Erbil has restarted Iraqi oil exports through Turkey after a weeklong standoff.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

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

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

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

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

Analysis

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

Ali IHSAN OZTURK / AFP via Getty Images

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

US investment Middle East

How the US invests in the Middle East

In our latest PRO Trend Report, we take a deep-dive into American investment in the region and opportunities to expand it.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint press conference with Cuban President in Ankara, on November 23, 2022. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Greece compares Turkey to North Korea in latest row with Erdogan

Erdogan’s remarks raise stakes in rivalry between fellow NATO members as threatening rhetoric escalates.

A man walks past a French-language daily newspaper stand displaying the final issue of Algerian French-language daily newspaper "Liberté" in Algeria's capital Algiers on April 14, 2022. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI/AFP via Getty Images)

In press freedom index, Middle Eastern countries go from bad to worse

Press freedom and journalist safety remain “very bad” in the majority of the Middle East and North Africa nations, Reporters Without Borders' 2022 index shows.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iranian dissident who disappeared in Turkey resurfaces in Evin prison

Mohammad Bagher Moradi who took refuge in Turkey has ended up in Iran's notorious Evin prison, five months after he went missing in Ankara, his lawyer told Al-Monitor.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian efforts to stir Circassians against Russia divide diaspora in Turkey

A heated debate has erupted in the Circassian diaspora over calls to establish a Circassian battalion against Russia in Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) holds a joint press conference with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (L) and Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom (R) following meetings at the State Department in Washington, DC, Dec. 8, 2022.

Breaking | Last Updated: December 8, 2022, 3:49 pm

US confident Sweden, Finland will soon join NATO despite Turkey's holdup

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the two Nordic states had taken "tangible steps" to address Turkey's security concerns.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Child abuse case drags Turkey’s religious sects into public eye

A woman’s claims that she was married at 6 has raised questions about the role of Islamic orders and their influence in the state.

DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images

US unveils sanctions on Turkish businessman over IRGC oil sales

The United States designated what it described as an international oil smuggling and money laundering network led by Turkish businessman Sitki Ayan.

South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images

Turkey cautiously optimistic as US drops conditions for F-16 sales

Turkey's foreign minister has urged the swift finalization of the much-awaited sale, while Greek news outlets maintain the final text carried a warning to Turkey against violating Greek airspace.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Russian delegation heads to Turkey amid potential Syria offensive

The top Turkish diplomat aired a rare complaint over the Russian stalling of constitutional talks between the warring Syrian actors, calling on Moscow to allow the process to resume.

AKP party supporters attend the "Unity, Will, Victory" rally at the Galatasaray's Nef Stadium in Istanbul on Nov. 27, 2022, six months ahead of Turkey's next presidential elections.

Al-Monitor/Premise poll finds tight race for Erdogan in Turkey's elections

As the battle for Turkey’s upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections intensifies, an Al-Monitor poll predicts a tight race between the country’s leading opposition bloc and the ruling alliance.

The Hellenic Navy Roussen or Super Vita class Fast Missile Patrol Boat P 71 HS Ritsos patrols off the tiny Greek island of Kastellorizo (Megisti), in the Dodecanese, the furthest south eastern Greek Island, two kilometers from the Turkish mainland on Aug. 28, 2020.

Row over militarization of Greek islands peaks with Turkish warning

Mevlut Cavusoglu has stepped up rhetoric over Aegean islands that Ankara says should be free of Greek arms.