World · Europe · 1 hr ago
Turkey and Azerbaijan leaders vow unity after public rift
Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev vowed to preserve their alliance during a joint appearance in Azerbaijan on Sunday.
Tensions grew in September after Azerbaijan restricted Islamic headscarves in school classrooms, prompting criticism from Erdogan’s party and an adviser.
Baku called the comments interference and declared 31 Turkish nationals persona non grata over critical social media posts; Aliyev also missed a summit in Ankara that month.
Erdogan visited Azerbaijan for Victory Day, which marks the country’s 2020 victory in a war with Armenia.
The dispute reflects wider differences over Azerbaijan’s independence and ties with Israel, as well as Turkey’s efforts to improve relations with Armenia.
The countries remain closely linked through military and energy ties, and Turkey is a key route for Azerbaijani oil and gas exports to Western markets.
Turkey and Azerbaijan’s presidents publicly reaffirmed their alliance on November 8 amid speculation that tensions had strained relations.
The friction followed criticism in Turkey of Azerbaijan’s restrictions on Islamic headscarves in schools and concern over Baku’s close ties with Israel.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said the alliance remained unshaken, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said their unity would endure.
Aliyev had skipped an October 30 summit of Turkic leaders in Ankara, sending his foreign minister instead.
The countries remain closely connected by military and energy ties.
- Who
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
- What
- They reaffirmed their countries’ alliance and vowed their unity would endure.
- When
- November 8, 2026.
- Where
- Shusha, Azerbaijan.
- Why
- To show unity amid speculation of a rift after tensions over school headscarf restrictions and Azerbaijan’s ties with Israel.
Turkish critics of Azerbaijan’s school restrictions
Azerbaijan’s ruling party
School headscarves
Turkish critics of Azerbaijan’s school restrictions
Critics in Turkey, including members of Erdogan’s party, opposed Azerbaijan’s restrictions on Islamic headscarves in schools.
Azerbaijan’s ruling party
Azerbaijan’s ruling party denounced the criticism as interference in the country’s internal affairs.
Azerbaijan revised school uniform regulations to prohibit clothing deemed incompatible with secular education, effectively barring Islamic headscarves in classrooms.
Aliyev did not attend a summit of Turkic leaders in Ankara and sent Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov instead.
Erdogan and Aliyev reaffirmed their countries’ unity at a joint news conference in Azerbaijan.
- Turkish president
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan
- Azerbaijani president
- Ilham Aliyev
- School restrictions
- Islamic headscarves barred in classrooms under revised regulations
- Missed summit
- October 30, 2026, in Ankara
- Alliance motto
- One Nation, Two States
2 sources
What people are saying
With the permission of Almighty God, our unity will endure forever.
Together, Azerbaijan and Turkey are even stronger.
Azerbaijan-Turkey tensions stemmed from the fact that Baku does not see itself as the younger brother in this alliance and insists on relations between equal partners.
The hijab dispute is a symptom of a deeper rift.