Oktay Saral, chief adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has angered Azerbaijan’s ruling party by describing the country’s new restrictions on headscarve-wearing pupils as "unacceptable".
The New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) hit back, accusing Turkish politicians of interfering in Azerbaijan's internal affairs.
The two allied countries describe their relations as representing "one nation, two states". This public disagreement between Turkey, a country led by Erdogan’s AKP, a party with roots in political Islam, and Azerbaijan, a secular state by law, is their most severe falling out in a long time.
On October 13, Azerbaijani authorities continued to detain protesters opposing the school dress code. Footage of Azerbaijani students crying and protesting outside schools went viral on Turkish social media, putting pressure on Ankara to criticise the decision barring students wearing hijabs.
On October 10, as the row over Azerbaijan’s secular school dress code simmered, IntelliNews’ Beyond the Bosporus column published an article headlined, “Why Azerbaijan’s official news agency lifted lid on Turkey’s hidden trade with Israel.” It referred to a sharp rebuke delivered by Azerbaijan’s leader of 22 years Aliyev earlier this month, in which he said: "Everyone should know their place, stay out of our affairs, stop poking their noses into our lifestyle and refrain from lecturing us."
Erdogan’s aide Saral asserted on X on October 12 that blocking pupils who cover their heads from education was unacceptable. "Education cannot be sacrificed to any ideological coercion," he wrote. He said Turkey was expecting Azerbaijan to reverse "this wrong step" as soon as possible.
Leader of Turkey’s Islamist opposition party Saadet (Felicity Party) Mahmut Arikan on October 12 sent an open letter to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev calling for the school ban on hijab-wearing girls to end. He referred to Turkey's "February 28 process", when headscarved girls lost access to education, and said such restrictions had not benefitted any country.
In its response on October 13, YAP called the statements by Saral and AKP deputies populist and irresponsible. It said Azerbaijan's education rules rest on secularism, equality and the rule of law, and urged the AKP to respect Azerbaijan's internal affairs. YAP also accused some Turkish media outlets of spreading biased information about Azerbaijan and rejected claims about Baku's close relations with Israel.
The Azerbaijan-Turkey interparliamentary working group of Azerbaijan’s National Assembly also issued a statement, reported by Report. It said Azerbaijan is an independent state and that the "one nation, two states" principle does not permit interference in its internal affairs. It said school rules apply equally to all citizens and are not directed at any religion.
It was on September 21 that Azerbaijan’s Cabinet of Ministers introduced the ban on elements of dress that breach the uniformity of the school uniform or do not conform to the principle of secular education. The decision does not name the hijab or specify the banned items. Requirements for teachers' clothing were approved on October 6, and on October 9 the Baku Education Department said it would check compliance with the dress rules.
Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry said on October 12 that 37 people were detained in Baku and a criminal case was opened under Article 233 of the Criminal Code, which covers organising or actively participating in actions that disrupt public order. The ministry said the group clashed with school staff and damaged educational institutions. Azerbaijani media, including Bakupost and Unikal.az, reported that more than 200 people were detained near the 28 May metro station on the evening of October 12. These figures have not been independently confirmed, and the ministry has not commented on them.
Prison protests have also been reported. Imprisoned journalist Polad Aslanov began a hunger strike on October 8, according to his wife Gulmira Aslanova. Cleric Zeynal Bayramov began a hunger strike on October 12. On the same day, 19 inmates at Penitentiary No. 17 said they would start one if the restrictions are not lifted.
Crowds gathered outside schools again on October 13, and pupils wearing hijabs were reportedly still refused entry.
Assessing the disturbance in Azerbaijan and Turkey’s relations, IntelliNews’ article concluded: “Looking at the hardline rule pursued by Aliyev, the thinking is often that he aims to keep his population, who are mainly Shia, in common with the people of neighbouring Iran, away from Iranian influence, while presenting himself as an independent actor in the world arena who defends the Azerbaijani way of life and sovereignty.
“The questioning of Aliyev’s Israel policy by Turkish government trolls and media can ordinarily be brushed off. However, if the Shia people of Azerbaijan start questioning why their country is supporting Israel rather than their Shia brothers in Iran, Aliyev could have some problems. It is particularly northern Iran, which borders Azerbaijan, that is populated by ethnic Turks, or Azeris.
“All in all, there is no visible indication of any sharp deterioration in Turkey-Azerbaijan relations, but Aliyev has at least provided the media purveyors of international relations with some good fodder.”