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

Turkey

Turkey

May 15, 2025

Ankara 8:40 pm

11°C

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks adjusts his earpiece during bilateral talks with the US President the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 11, 2023.

Erdogan thanks Trump for ‘historic’ Syria decision during Sharaa meeting

The Turkish president also said his country was ready to support Damascus in the fight against the Islamic State and in maintaining the security of ISIS camps.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attend a bilateral meeting between the US President and Saudi Crown Prince in Riyadh on May 13, 2025.

Analysis

A first in 15 years, Rubio to meet Syria’s FM in Turkey: What to know

A landmark meeting in Antalya follows Trump’s surprise decision to lift Syria sanctions, handing Ankara a diplomatic victory.

Ezgi Akin

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

Smoke billows near a military hospital in Harasta, northeast Damascus, following Israeli airstrikes across Syria overnight on May 3, 2025.

Jordan, Turkey, Syria FMs slam 'Israeli expansionism' after Ankara meeting

Jordanian, Turkish and Syrian top diplomats have criticized Israeli attacks on Syria.

An Iraqi Kurdish woman waves a flag bearing the portrait of the founder of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan as people gather at Freedom Park to listen to an audio message by the jailed leader in Sulaimaniyah, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region on Feb. 27, 2025.

PKK ends 40-year war against Turkey, vows to pursue Kurdish rights

The disarmament brings an end to one of the Middle East’s longest-running insurgencies, with the PKK vowing to pursue its goals through political means.

Latest News

Trump may visit Turkey Thursday for Erdogan’s Russia-Ukraine talks

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Analysis

How Turkey’s nuclear submarine bid is a game changer for its naval strategy

A ferry passes a Turkish Navy submarine navigating the Bosphorus on Sept. 27, 2024, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey’s Fidan says he survived assassination abroad as head of intel

Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan arrives during Turkey's president's visit at the Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome on April 29, 2025.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

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

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A man counts Turkish lira at a currency exchange office in Istanbul, July 29, 2020.

Turkey’s Central Bank holds interest rate at 50%

It marks the eighth consecutive month without a change.

Denizbank

Turkey prosecutors indict bank CEO in $44 million Ponzi scheme

The latest indictment seeks lengthy prison sentences for the bank executives over a scheme targeting soccer stars.

TPAO

Turkey’s big plan to launch IPOs for state energy companies: What we know

Turkey's financial recovery travails are likely to be the key reason for the change in energy policy.

People carry the picture of late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as they march during a protest to express support for Palestinians in Gaza on the eve of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks, on Oct. 06, 2024, in Istanbul, Turkey.

US warns Turkey against hosting Hamas' political leaders

The State Department said several Hamas leaders have been indicted in the United States and "should be turned over."

Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi (C), Director the Security Agency Ronen Bar (C-R) and Israel's Chief of the Mossad David Barnea (R).

Shin Bet chief discusses Gaza truce in Turkey: What we know

The Israeli official's travel to Turkey marks a dramatic development considering that Ankara has not played a part in these negotiations over the past year and Israel-Turkey relations have significantly deteriorated amid the Gaza war.

Hamas's chief representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan (L), Hamas Arab relations chief Khalil al-Hayya (C) and Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command Talal Naji arrive for a press conference during a visit to Damascus, Syria, Oct. 19, 2022.

Reports Hamas' political bureau relocated to Turkey false, Turkish sources say

Turkish diplomatic sources refutes claims of Hamas political leaders relocating from Qatar to Turkey, following media reports.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (L) and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during a press conference in Ankara, on March 9, 2022. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey blocked Israeli President Herzog’s flight to COP29 in Azerbaijan, officials confirm

Ankara denied for Herzog’s aircraft to fly over Turkish airspace to reach Baku.

MAXIM SHIPENKOV/AFP via Getty Images

BRICS offers Turkey 'partner country' status, Turkish trade minister says

The Turkish trade minister stopped short of clarifying whether Ankara accepted the offer or not.

Turkish Jandarma soldiers guard the entrance to the Silivri Courthouse while awaiting the court's decision during the ongoing trial of journalists from the Cumhuriyet newspaper.

Turkey postpones debate on controversial ‘foreign agent’ law amid public outcry

The move follows criticism from the opposition and civil society over potential threats to free speech and media independence.

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 13: U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan participate in a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on November 13, 2019 in Washington, DC. The two leaders had a meeting in the Oval Office before speaking to the media at the news conference. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

After Trump win, Turkey hopeful on Syria reconciliation, US withdrawal

Ankara expresses hope for mending ties with Damascus as well as a potential US military exit from northern Syria following Trump’s victory.

Burak Kara/Getty Images)

Analysis

Are Turkey's Erdogan and his nationalist ally about to fall out over Kurds?

For weeks assorted Turkish officials have been leaking claims that there is indeed daylight between the president and his ally of a sort that may even result in an unraveling of their nine-year partnership that has helped keep the AKP in power.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Turkish members of parliament attend a session at the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, in Ankara, on Dec. 11, 2023.

Turkey’s proposed ‘foreign agent’ law threatens press freedom, critics say

The bill is seen as a major blow to the already weak independent civil society organizations in Turkey.