Turkey and Azerbaijan clash over school headscarf ban and Israel ties, but energy links curb fallout

A public row erupted after Oktay Saral, chief adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, denounced Azerbaijan’s school uniform policy that bars headscarves, labeling it “unacceptable” and urging a reversal. President Ilham Aliyev’s New Azerbaijan Party retaliated, accusing Saral and AKP lawmakers of spreading “populist and irresponsible” statements and launching a disinformation campaign. The clash also exposed divergent views on Azerbaijan’s close military cooperation with Israel, which provides drones used in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, contrasting with Turkey’s hostile stance toward Israel following the Gaza conflict.

Pro-government Turkish media framed the issue as an attempt to link Azerbaijan to Israel, while analysts note Baku’s growing willingness to act independently in foreign policy. Nevertheless, both sides recognize their deep interdependence: energy projects, Azerbaijan’s role as a gateway to Central Asia, and shared strategic concerns about Russia and Iran. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reaffirmed the “unshakable bond” at a Baku summit, and Ankara has urged calm, even as Azerbaijan issued an international arrest warrant for Turkish columnist Celal Çiftçi on charges of coup incitement and religious extremism.