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

Turkey

Turkey

March 18, 2026

Ankara 6:22 pm

14°C

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

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

The deployment to a key Turkish airbase likely signals NATO planners’ heightened concern over Turkey’s military assets.

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

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

As Iraq looks to reroute oil to Turkey, Baghdad is also using the plan to push the Iraqi Kurds to greenlight exports through their territory.

Ali IHSAN OZTURK / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

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

Even as war heighten tensions between Ankara and Tehran, the mix of rivalry and pragmatic cooperation that has long defined Turkey–Iran relations is likely to endure.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Feature

Iranians crossing into Turkey haunted by regime crackdown more than war

Iranian nationals arrive in Turkey after passing through the Razi-Kapikoy border crossing in Van, northeastern Turkey, on March 3, 2026.

Ezgi Akin

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

Analysis

Oil-price hikes from Iran war threaten Turkey's rate cuts in inflation fight

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

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

Analysis

Oil crisis stokes inflation risks for Mideast as Iran war exposes importers

Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Istanbul mayor announces reelection bid in Turkey’s upcoming local polls

Ending a heated public debate, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said he would not seek Turkey’s main opposition leadership, but he implicitly linked the success of his reelection bid as mayor in the local polls to main opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s resignation.

Borsa Istanbul

Moody’s upgrades outlook for Turkish banks amid economic U-turn

The US-based rating agency projected Turkey's economic growth to be 4.2% at the end of 2023, falling from 2022’s 5.6%.

Getty

Turkey captures alleged conspirator in 2016 murder of Russian ambassador

Turkish authorities continue to arrest suspects seven years after Russia's ambassador to Ankara was slain by an alleged Gulenist.

Newly appointed Minister of National Defense Yasar Guler speaks during his handover ceremony at the Ministry of National Defense, Ankara, Turkey, June 5, 2023.

Turkey dismisses Assad’s tirade, says withdrawal from Syria 'unimaginable' now

Turkey's defense minister says withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria would be "unimaginable" before his country’s national security concerns are addressed.

Somalis celebrate the victory of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he won the presidential run-off election during the celebrations organised by the government in Mogadishu, on May 29, 2023.

Why Turkey's Erdogan sings the same tune with Russia's Putin in Africa

Turkey’s efforts to expand its influence in Africa often align with those of Russia, with both Ankara and Moscow holding back from condemning military coups and seeking to capitalize on post-colonial resentments.

A gold worker holds a 1 KG gold bullion at Istanbul Gold Refinery (IGR) on January 13, 2015 in Istanbul.

Why did Turkey restrict gold imports as it rolled new economic measures?

Observers believe Turkey’s new economic leadership is unlikely to take strong measures to curb inflation before Erdogan gets through local elections in March 2024.

A photo taken on March 4, 2015 shows a banner bearing a portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a street in the city of Damascus.

Turkey-Syria reconciliation slips away as Assad bashes Erdogan

The top diplomats of Syria and Turkey met in Moscow earlier this summer, but little substantial progress seems to have been made in their path toward reconciliation.

A Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drone is on view during a presentation at the Lithuanian Air Force Base in Siauliai, Lithuania, on July 6, 2022.

Analysis

After Saudi drone deal, Turkey’s defense industry eyes record export year

Turkey’s military exports could hit a record $7.5 billion this year after a major deal with Saudi Arabia.

Eray Gorgulu

By Eray Gorgulu

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaks during a press conference with Iraq's Prime Minister in Damascus on July 16, 2023.

Analysis

The missing peace between Syria and Turkey

Erdogan, Assad and the West all seem to be accepting a low-level grey zone conflict in Syria.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey logs $674M account surplus, breaking 20 month deficit

Turkey posted a current account surplus in June for the first time since October 2021.

SAFIN HAMID/AFP via Getty Images

Six Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with Kurdish militants in northern Iraq

Escalating clashes between Turkey and Kurdish militants in northern Iraq have left six Turkish soldiers dead.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines posts $635m Q2 profit, capacity exceeds pre-COVID levels

While global airlines lost nearly $170 billion to the 2020 pandemic and the industry as a whole still is not making a net profit, Turkish Airlines managed to make $2.7 billion in profit in 2022.