Turkey seeks to calm tensions with Azerbaijan over school headscarf restrictions

In September, Azerbaijan announced a regulation prohibiting attire it said violated secular principles, which schools interpreted as a ban on headscarves and began turning away veiled students. The move triggered a social-media campaign and street protests in Turkey, where media likened it to the country's own 1990s headscarf ban. President Ilham Aliyev later criticized unnamed external actors for interfering in Azerbaijan's domestic matters, a comment interpreted in Ankara as a subtle rebuke.

Turkish officials, however, say the incident is a misunderstanding and reaffirm the "brotherly" ties between the two states, emphasizing ongoing energy, transport and defence cooperation. No official Turkish statement will directly address Aliyev's remarks, and Ankara aims to defuse the situation through diplomatic channels.