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

Turkey

Turkey

April 14, 2026

Ankara 6:20 pm

16°C

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) walks with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif upon his arrival during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on June 1, 2022. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Inside Turkey’s role in the US-Iran ceasefire

Turkey used its intelligence networks and rare access to both Washington and Tehran to quietly facilitate the US-Iran ceasefire while advancing its own regional security priorities.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

This picture taken on Oct. 19, 2020 in Istanbul shows Turkey's third drilling ship 'Kanuni' as it enters the bosphorus near Haydarpasa port.

Turkey launches first overseas drilling mission in Somalia: What to know

A drilling ship has reached Somalia to start Turkey's first overseas drilling mission as regional rivalry heats up in the Horn of Africa.

Latest News

Turkey detains 11 over ISIS-linked attack on Israeli Consulate: What to know

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

One gunman killed during attack near Israel’s consulate in Istanbul

Police officials stand among traffic as they patrol near the Israeli Consulate following a shootout between gunmen and police, Istanbul, Turkey, April 7, 2026.

Analysis

How the Iran war can help Syria manage Turkey and its regional rivals

This handout photograph provided by the Turkish Foreign Ministry press service shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) meeting with Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (R) in Damascus on Dec. 22, 2025.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Third Turkish ship clears Hormuz as Ankara presses Tehran on safe passage

A bulk carrier sits anchored at Sultan Qaboos Port on March 23, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

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’s Christians divided over 'freedom' declaration

A declaration by non-Muslim spiritual leaders in support of Ankara has exposed in-house divisions in Christian communities.

Syrians gather at a site of car bomb in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on August 2, 2018. - Idlib is the last of four "de-escalation" zones agreed by world powers in 2017 where the rebels still have a major presence. Strategically important Idlib province shares a border with rebel-backer Turkey and is adjacent to Latakia, a regime stronghold on the Mediterranean. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey’s time running out in Idlib

Syrian Kurds could be a wild card in a possible showdown between Damascus and Ankara; Russia keeps the peace, for now, on the Israel-Syria border; Israel may have opened a new front of secret assassinations; the political economy of Iran’s protests.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speak at the start of the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium July 11, 2018. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause - RC1E8AE4CB40

Turkish lira plunges as Trump hits Ankara with increased tariffs

US President Donald Trump's tweeted promise to double tariffs on steel and aluminum has pushed Turkey's currency into yet another tumble.

Are Turkey’s Christians as 'fine' as they say?

Amid a simmering crisis over a detained American pastor, Turkey’s non-Muslim minorities asserted they enjoy religious freedom in the country, but the declaration belies ongoing grievances and fears.

A road sign that shows the direction to Manbij city is seen in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, Syria March 1, 2017. Picture taken March 1, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC15D78AB000

Ankara plans road network to connect Syria with southern Turkey

The Turkish government is working with local councils in Syria's Euphrates Shield area to build and improve a road network to connect the area's cities with southern Turkey.

A money changer counts Turkish lira banknotes at a currency exchange office in Diyarbakir, Turkey May 23, 2018. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RC1EF7A7FF30

Mainstream Turkish media turn blind eye to country’s worst currency crisis

Although Turkey is suffering one of the worst currency crises in its history, no single mainstream Turkish media outlet has covered the development.

Special Advisor to the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Jan Egeland, adresses the media during a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, April 4, 2018. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy - RC1DA4ACDBC0

UN reaches out to Ankara as Assad coils around Idlib

The United Nations will reportedly ask Turkey to keep its borders open to millions more Syrian civilians fleeing an expected regime offensive on Idlib.

Medieval Turkish village reinvents itself as tech hub

In the mid-15th century, Sultan Mehmet II strategically dispatched 300 soldiers across the coast from Lesbos; today, the old Janissary village bids for technological, rather than military, power.

A money changer counts Turkish lira banknotes at a currency exchange office in Istanbul, Turkey August 2, 2018. Picture taken August 2, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1308E57BC0

Turkey’s economic headache bigger than Brunson standoff, US problems

Although Turkey’s dispute with the US administration over American pastor Andrew Brunson has worsened the country’s foreign currency position, the US-Turkish row is not why the lira is melting down.

Ex-army chief rises swiftly in Turkish civilian politics

Hulusi Akar, Turkey’s new defense minister, could play a balancing role in the new regime of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey steps up efforts to shun dollar

As the Turkish lira plunges to a record low, some voices in Ankara are warning that the United States is furious over Turkey’s efforts to reduce its dependency on the dollar.

Russia eyes refugee return as centerpiece of next policy move in Syria

Moscow claims it's making progress in talks with Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey over the return of Syrian refugees; yet getting international organizations and the United States to cooperate on the refugee return and the reconstruction of Syria proves more challenging.