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

Turkey

Turkey

March 29, 2026

Ankara 2:56 am

10°C

A handing over of command ceremony at Union III Camp in the Green Zone of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on May 22, 2025.

Turkey confirms Iraq troop withdrawal as NATO pulls back due to Iran war

The confirmation of the withdrawal came as part of NATO’s decision to withdraw its forces in its Iraq mission amid Iran war.

Two Typhoon Eurofighter jets of the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) of the German air force (Luftwaffe) take off for training during a media day at the military Laage Air Base, northeastern Germany, on March 11, 2026.

Turkey, UK advance $11B Eurofighter jet deal with training agreement

Britain and Turkey signed a training and support agreement marking “the next phase” of Ankara’s entry into the Eurofighter program, building on a £8 billion jet deal signed last year.

Journalists gather outside the Ankara courthouse on March 10, 2020 behind a banner reading in Turkish "journalism is not crime," to protest over jailing of journalists, sparked by the recent arrest of OdaTV's news director and a journalist's report on the funeral of a Turkish intelligence officer apparently killed in Libya.

Journalist who investigated Erdogan’s son jailed on 'disinformation' charges in Turkey

Human rights organizations warn Ari’s detention signals a broader campaign against journalists probing government corruption and elite networks.

Latest News

US proposes Vance-Ghalibaf talks with Turkey as one intermediary: Source

Ghalibaf Fidan

Analysis

Iran war drives Turkey-Gulf defense alignment, but not alliance

United Arab Emirates army helicopters fly from the Burj al Arab hotel (R) toward Burj Khalifa, Dubai, Jan. 16, 2026.

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

Turkey pursues normalization drive as COVID-19 case counts rise

Turkish officials to maintain lighter COVID-19 restrictions through much of the country, as new infection numbers rise and vaccination campaigns continue.

Erdogan’s Islamic credentials no longer a winning hand among Turkey’s Kurds

The ruling party’s increasingly strong alliance with nationalists has dampened support among the country’s Kurds.

Chad President Idriss Deby Itno (C) waves at supporters during a campaign rally in N'Djamena, Chad, on March 13, 2021. - Chad President Idriss Deby Itno kicked off his campaign for a sixth term on Saturday, calling for unity after rival protests were banned and broken up. (Photo by Renaud MASBEYE BOYBEYE / AFP) (Photo by RENAUD MASBEYE BOYBEYE/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt seeks to block Turkish influence in Chad

Egypt is making every effort toward rapprochement with Chad to counterbalance Turkey’s influence in the African continent, especially after the defeat of Cairo’s ally in Libya.

Turkey and Egypt make first diplomatic contact since 2013

The two countries were at odds over the 2013 coup in Egypt that brought Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to power.

A thaw in Turkey’s relations with Egypt?

Gulf Cooperation Council reconciliation may have set in motion Ankara’s desire for a reset with Cairo.

idf drill.png

Israel, Cyprus, Greece conduct naval exercise amid tensions with Turkey

France also sent naval assets for the first time since last year's joint exercises.

Washington’s Afghan plan diplomatic godsend for Ankara

A US peace plan for Afghanistan, involving intra-Afghan talks in Turkey, could offer Ankara a chance to raise its international profile and break the ice with Washington.

A man waits to receive the COVID-19 vaccine the at Ankara City Hospital in Ankara on March 1, 2021. - The country started mass COVID-19 vaccination on January 14, after the authorities approved the emergency use of the Chinese CoronaVac vaccine. More than 8,857,445 people have been vaccinated so far. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey aims to vaccinate 50 million by fall, health minister says

Turkey, a country of 89 million people, has so far administered more than 10.5 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

Turkey, Russia, Qatar push for unlikely new Syria peace track

The trilateral meeting between the countries is meant to push for a political solution to Syria's 10-year-long conflict.

A picture taken at the port of Dilovasi, outside Istanbul, on June 20, 2019 shows the drilling ship 'Yavuz' scheduled to search for oil and gas off Cyprus. - Turkey is set to send a new ship on June 20 to search for oil and gas off Cyprus, in a move expected to escalate tensions after the EU called on Ankara to stop its "illegal drilling activities". The region near the divided island is believed have rich natural gas deposits, triggering a race between Turkey and the internationally recognised Cyprus, whic

Is Turkey-Egypt maritime agreement dead in the water?

Turkey's efforts to secure a demarcation agreement with Egypt in the eastern Mediterranean seem fruitless as Cairo remains indifferent to Ankara's signals.

Kurdish forces blame Turkey for Euphrates River water drop in northeast Syria

The Syrian Democratic Forces claim Turkey caused a drop in the Euphrates River water level that will harm residents and their economic activities in the areas they control in northern and eastern Syria.

ERBIL, IRAQ - MARCH 07: A nun waves a flag as Pope Francis arrives to conduct a mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium on March 07, 2021 in Erbil, Iraq. PPope Francis arrived in Erbil, the final stop of his historic four-day visit, the first-ever papal visit to Iraq. In his first foreign trip since the start of the pandemic, Pope Francis visited Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil, and the cities of Qaraqosh and Mosul, which were heavily destroyed by ISIS. Although the trip is seen as an act of solidarity, the Vatican has bee

Kurdish stamp commemorating pope's visit to Erbil fans Turkish conspiracy fears

Ankara is furious over a commemorative stamp design featuring a map of Iraqi Kurdistan that includes chunks of Turkey’s Kurdish-dominated southeast provinces.