Erdogan and Aliyev reaffirm unbreakable alliance despite hijab dispute

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pledged on Sunday that their alliance will stay solid, even after a September dispute over school hijab rules. Baku had ordered schools to ban headscarves, calling them incompatible with secular education. The move sparked protests in Azerbaijan and drew criticism from Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party. Adviser Oktay Saral urged Baku to reverse the ban, but Aliyev’s ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party called the demand interference. Baku responded by declaring 31 Turkish citizens, including an opposition lawmaker, persona non grata for social‑media posts. Erdogan later dismissed Saral, while Aliyev skipped the October 30 Turkic summit in Ankara and sent foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov instead. On November 8, marking Victory Day, Erdogan arrived in the Fuzuli district and was welcomed by Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva with a guard of honour. At a joint press conference they quoted the “One Nation, Two States” motto and said their unity will endure forever. Analysts said the hijab row reflects deeper friction over Azerbaijan’s diplomatic independence, its arms purchases from Israel and Turkey’s shifting stance toward Armenia. The two nations remain tied by military cooperation, energy pipelines and Turkey’s role as a transit route for Azerbaijani oil and gas.

Context

Turkey and Azerbaijan share Turkic cultural ties and have long cooperated on defence and energy projects. Their partnership often balances Azerbaijan’s desire for sovereign decision‑making with Turkey’s regional ambitions.