Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is due to take part in a regional summit that kicks off in Baku on Thursday amid tensions between Turkey and Azerbaijan, its closest Turkic ally, over Azerbaijan’s fresh restrictions on religious garb in state schools and its close ties with Israel. Relations between Turkey and Israel have hit rock bottom over Gaza and, more recently, Syria. Israeli leaders now equate Turkey with Iran in terms of the threats both pose to Israel.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in Baku on Wednesday, where he will hold talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev. Herzog will also take part in the 7th Summit on the Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, where Fidan will represent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi will attend the summit, Azerbaijani media reported on Wednesday. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to attend as well.
In theory, the CICA gathering offers opportunities for hostile countries and intermediaries to engage in dialogue on the sidelines. Aliyev played a critical role in helping establish a deconfliction mechanism between Turkey and Israel, bringing the two sides together at a meeting in Baku in April 2025. But fears of an accidental clash persist following Israel’s Aug. 18 bombing of Abu al-Duhur Air Base in northwestern Syria. Israel said it had acted on intelligence indicating that Turkey was preparing to deploy troops and radar systems at the facility. Damascus condemned the strikes as an unjustified act of aggression.
Such diplomatic efforts may take a back seat to Fidan’s efforts to mend fences with Baku. Azerbaijan’s ruling party issued a sharp statement on Wednesday, blasting Erdogan’s top adviser for criticizing restrictions on school uniforms and teachers’ attire in state schools.