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

Turkey

Turkey

October 23, 2026

Ankara 7:05 am

11°C

A German Air Force Eurofighter jet is seen during the NATO Media Day at Lielvarde Air Base in Lielvarde, Latvia, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey says Qatar Eurofighter jet deal still on track despite Iran war

Ankara expects Doha to submit a draft sales contract for the fighter jets, as Turkey seeks to acquire aircraft that can be delivered sooner than its newly ordered Eurofighters.

In this stock image, a female embryologist demonstrates freezing straws with embryos and sperm in real IVF laboratory.

Culture

Turkey egg donor scam allegedly sold clients on promise of blond babies

An investigation triggered by a husband’s tip has led to at least 45 arrests in an alleged network that sold Turkish donor eggs to foreign clients seeking Scandinavian ancestry.

Fidan

Analysis

What's at stake as Libya's eastern parliament approves Turkey maritime deal

Libya's eastern-based parliament's approval of a long-disputed maritime deal with Turkey marks a strategic win for Ankara as Saddam Hifter seeks Turkish backing for his presidential ambitions, according to analysts.

Ezgi Akin

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

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Ankara, Turkey, Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey sends Mecca defense pact with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to parliament for ratification

Ankara is weighing military assistance to Riyadh as Houthi attacks intensify, though any Turkish deployment is expected to be limited.

Latest News

Turkey's defense industry set to hit $20B in new contracts in 2026

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Analysis

Turkey turns to Iran to contain Houthis as Saudi defense commitments grow

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a press conference in Tehran on November 30, 2025.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Explainer

Syria arrests Mihrac Ural, ex-Assad militia head also wanted by Turkey

Mihrac Ural, who was also known as Ali Kayali, was arrested

Turkey: Flash floods kill 3, paralyze Istanbul after record downpour

Abandoned cars piled up among debris and standing water following extremely heavy rainfall, Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 15, 2026.

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

Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan (3rd L) and US Vice President Joe Biden (C) cross themselves during a prayer service commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at the National Cathedral on May 7, 2015, in Washington, DC.

US-Turkey relations to be tested by possible Armenian genocide recognition

US President Joe Biden is reportedly preparing to recognize the 1915 mass killings of Armenians as genocide Saturday in a move that could further strain troubled US-Turkey relations.

A sign reads "Social distance 1.5m" next to the pool of a hotel on June 19, 2020, at Lara district in Antalya, a popular holiday resort in southern Turkey. The novel coronavirus pandemic has hit Turkey's tourism industry, the backbone of the country's economy.

Turkey’s tourism sector fears another disastrous year

Apprehension is growing in Turkey that its tourism sector, a vital hard-currency earner, might fail to recuperate in 2021 amid a new peak in the coronavirus pandemic.

Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan gives a press conference following her meeting with US Secretary of Commerce n Ankara, on Sept. 10, 2019.

Erdogan fires trade minister amid scandal, reshuffles cabinet

In a pair of midnight decrees Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan over an alleged nepotism scandal and began a long-rumored cabinet reshuffle.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Gold mining company to file $1B claim against Turkey over halted project

Canadian mining company Alamos Gold announced Tuesday it would seek $1 billion from Turkey after mining concessions expired for a controversial project in the nation’s northwestern Canakkale region.

Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during a political meeting of his ruling party the AKP, in Ankara, March 24, 2021.

Turkey’s ruling Islamists dogged by mounting corruption claims

Allegations of government corruption are adding to public anger as the economy continues to decline.

Smoke from a presumed drone or artillery strike on October 3, 2020, in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh.

Is Canadian embargo harbinger of more sanctions for Turkey?

The Canadian government’s decision to indefinitely cancel military export permits to Turkey has touched a nerve in the Turkish defense industry and bureaucracy.

Dbeibeh and Erdogan

Can Turkey rely on Libyan PM to guarantee its strategic interests?

Ankara’s two critical deals with Tripoli remain in limbo even though Libya’s new prime minister raised Turkish spirits during a much-hyped visit this week.

Turkey's US envoy 'not naive' to differences, sees room for cooperation with Washington

In an interview with Al-Monitor's Andrew Parasiliti, Hasan Murat Mercan talked the S-400s, tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and what a US recognition of the Armenian genocide would mean for the relationship.

Greece's Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias (C) walks on Istiklal Avenue after his meeting with the Patriarch of Constantinople at the Greek Consulate in Istanbul on April 14, 2021.

Turkey's efforts to woo rivals yield mixed results

Diplomatically isolated and economically weak, Turkey is seeking to repair relations with its regional foes. But it's no easy task.

A Liberian-flagged cargo vessel is tugged by a coastal safety boat after it ran ashore in the Bosporus, Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 27, 2019.

Ankara in risky geopolitical gamble in Black Sea

Fiddling with the delicate balance of power in the Black Sea might leave Turkey in a worse squeeze between Russia and the United States.

Anti-Turkish protest in Basra

US, Turkish forces in Iraq targeted in separate attacks

A Turkish soldier was killed northeast of Mosul shortly after NATO and US officials announced they will withdraw from Afghanistan this year.

A man wearing a protective face mask and gloves and working behind a plastic shield waits to serve customers on a busy market street on April 09, 2021, in Istanbul, Turkey. The country announced more than 55,000 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, a new daily record since the start of the pandemic. Fears are growing that coronavirus cases will continue to rise as the country prepares to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan starting on April 13.

Turkey tightens COVID-19 restrictions as Ramadan holy month begins

Responding to a surge in new cases, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced tighter COVID-19 restrictions for the first two weeks of Ramadan, saying measures could be extended if current trends continue.