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Turkey

Turkey

March 8, 2025

Ankara 6:53 am

1°C

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey’s defense chief says PKK ceasefire holds 'no significance'

The Turkish defense chief asserts that the Kurdistan Workers Party and all its offshoots must immediately dissolve, dismissing its unilateral ceasefire while Turkey continues targeting militants.

The dynamic duo of curator Christine Tohme and director Kevser Guler reveal “The Three-Legged Cat” as the theme for the 18th Istanbul Biennial, the leading cultural event of 2025. (Salih Ustundag, IKSV)

AL-Monitor Istanbul: The women who shape the city

Istanbul and the world mark International Women’s Day, March 8, with a flurry of events.

A young man looks at the Bayraktar TB2 drone.

Turkey's Baykar partners with Italy’s Leonardo on drones: What to know

The joint venture could further boost Baykar’s drone fleet and comes amid improving Italy-Turkey trade ties.

Israeli tank enters Syria buffer zone

Turkey accuses Israel of destabilizing region by driving wedge in Syria

Israel’s actions toward Syria's new interim regime risk fomenting further instability in the region, a Turkish official told Al-Monitor.

Latest News

Turkey lowers interest rates to 42.5% following dip in annual inflation

The entrance to the Central Bank of Turkey, Ankara, Feb. 8, 2024.

Analysis

Iran spooked by Turkey’s overtures to Kurds, rising role in Syria, Iraq

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) meets with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) in Tehran, on July 19, 2022.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

In Paris, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Iran, Turkey summon diplomats as tensions soar over Syria, Kurds: What to know

Fidan and Araghchi

Analysis

As it courts Syria's Druze, will Israel counter Turkey or get cold shoulder?

Ultraorthodox Jewish men speak to soldiers standing on an armored personnel carrier in the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syria, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams, Feb. 27, 2025.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

In Paris, 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

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Mustafa Sonmez

In Istanbul, reporting on economics

Local residents walk past the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul on March 1, 2025, on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)

Inflation in Turkey dips under 40%, lowest in nearly 2 years

Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said he expected the decline in inflation to continue due to Turkish monetary policies.

An employee checks eggs at Aytekin chicken farm on on May 06, 2022 in Bandirma, Turkey.

How Turkey's egg tax complicates US soaring prices amid bird flu crisis

The US Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it will have to import between 70 and 100 million eggs in the next month or two as the outbreak derails the country’s domestic egg production.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands after attending a joint press conference at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Feb. 18, 2025.

Analysis

After Istanbul meeting, what role for Turkey in a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire?

Turkey may be open to providing security guarantees for Ukraine but remains hesitant about deploying peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with Syria's Foreign Minister during a joint press conference, in Ankara on January 15, 2025. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

In rare rebuke of Iran, Turkey's Fidan calls its proxy strategy 'heavy burden'

The top Turkish diplomat criticized Iran's regional strategy and warned against aligning with Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

“Migration,” oil on canvas, 2024. (Courtesy of Yapı Kredi Bomontiada)

AL-Monitor Istanbul: Exploring joy and sorrow in Neş’e Erdok’s paintings

Nes’e Erdok’s first name means "joy," but her paintings tell a different story.

Ocalan flag

End of an era? PKK leader Ocalan orders militants to end war with Turkey, 'dissolve'

While Ocalan's call raises hopes for ending decades of conflict with Turkey, questions remain about the future of Kurdish politics in Syria and the broader region.

Kurdish men holds up a flag with a picture of the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan during Newroz celebrations, on March 21, 2015, in Diyarbakir, Turkey

PKK leader Ocalan set to make historic peace call between Turkey and the Kurds

A delegation is expected to relay the militant leader's statement on Thursday, Al-Monitor has learned.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov looks on as he attends a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara on February 24, 2025. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

After Saudi Arabia, Turkey to host US-Russia talks Thursday: What to know

Thursday’s US-Russia talks in Turkey come as Ankara seeks to assert its role as a facilitator in US-Russia and Russia-Ukraine negotiations.

BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 24: Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate of Germany’s Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), arrives to a press conference sthe day after German parliamentary elections on February 24, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. The CDU/CSU won with 28.5% and will seek to form a government coalition. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Analysis

Pro-Israel, Turkey-friendly in Syria: How Merz's win in Germany affects Middle East

Germany’s chancellor-designate, Friedrich Merz, has called for more military support to Israel and criticized the current government over reduced arms exports to the country.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Feb. 24, 2025.

Lavrov in Turkey, praises Trump as Ankara offers to host Russia-Ukraine talks

As Ankara seeks a role in potential Ukraine-Russia peace talks, the top Russian diplomat paid a visit to Turkey less than a week after the Ukrainian president's trip to Ankara.

erdogan somalia

Analysis

Turkey’s space ambitions soar with Somalia site but limitations continue

Building the space base is a good development, but to reach its goals, Turkey needs to allocate more financial and human resources to realize a full-fledged space program.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

AFP via Getty Images

One Turkish soldier, 17 PKK militants killed in northern Iraq clashes

The killing of the Turkish soldier comes ahead of militant leader Abdullah Ocalan’s expected call to disarm the Kurdistan Workers Party.