Erdogan in Azerbaijan to ease rare rift with key ally

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Azerbaijan's Fizuli district on Sunday for Victory Day celebrations aimed at easing an unusually public rift with Baku over headscarf restrictions and diplomatic expulsions, according to Azerbaijani state media. President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva welcomed Erdoğan and his wife Emine at the airport with a guard of honour present for the ceremonies marking Baku's 2020 victory over Armenian forces.

Headscarf dispute

Tensions flared in September when Azerbaijan revised school uniform regulations to prohibit Islamic headscarves from classrooms, effectively rolling back religious freedoms in the mainly Shiite Muslim nation. Presidential adviser Oktay Saral demanded Baku reverse the restrictions, prompting Aliyev's ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party to denounce the comments as "interference in Azerbaijan's internal affairs" — leading to Saral's dismissal and the declaration of 31 Turkish nationals as persona non grata over critical social media posts.

Aliyev subsequently stayed away from the October 30 summit of Turkic leaders in Ankara despite a personal invitation from Erdoğan, sending Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov instead. Ahead of his visit, Erdoğan told reporters that "There is no obstacle that the brotherhood between Turkey and Azerbaijan cannot overcome," expressing hope the trip would allow the neighbors to take "necessary steps" toward reconciliation.

Strategic tensions

Analysts say the quarrel reflects deeper disagreements over Baku's diplomatic independence and its close military ties with Israel, which have angered Ankara amid its growing hostility toward the Jewish state over the war in Gaza. "The hijab dispute is a symptom of a deeper rift," Gonul Tol, an analyst at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, wrote on X, noting that tensions have simmered over Azerbaijan's sovereignty and Ankara's influence in the region.

The allies remain closely bound by energy ties despite the friction, with Türkiye serving as a key transit route for Azerbaijani oil and gas exports to Western markets. November 8 marks the anniversary of Azerbaijan's capture of Shusha in Karabakh during the 2020 war — a victory achieved with Turkish backing that cemented the "one nation, two states" alliance.