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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed chief presidential adviser Oktay Saral on Sunday in an effort to end a diplomatic dispute with Azerbaijan over Baku’s headscarf ban in schools.
Saral confirmed his dismissal. “I have absolute respect for the president’s decision,” he said in a message.
Middle East Eye reported that the removal was meant to satisfy demands from Azerbaijan, which has close ethnic, cultural, religious and historical ties to Türkiye.
Ankara is also trying to secure the attendance of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the Organisation of Turkic States summit, which is due to be held in Türkiye later this week.
The dispute traces back to last month, when Azerbaijan imposed a ban on headscarves in primary and secondary schools. The measure set off protests in Türkiye and drew criticism of the government in Baku.
Saral reacted to the ban at the time with a social media post that criticised the decision and called on Baku to reverse it. Earlier this month, Aliyev’s New Azerbaijan Party answered his comments with a harsh rebuke, urging Ankara to avoid hegemonic tendencies in the Islamic world.
Turkish officials had feared that Aliyev, angered by the demonstrations in Türkiye, could skip the summit. The Organisation of Turkic States, which brings together Türkiye, Azerbaijan and other Turkic-speaking countries, is one of the main venues for the two countries’ diplomacy.
Türkiye and Azerbaijan often describe their relationship as “one nation, two states.”
Erdogan invited Aliyev to the summit during a phone call on Thursday, according to readouts from both governments. Neither statement said whether Aliyev would attend.
Middle East Eye reported last week that Baku had demanded Saral’s dismissal, along with the prosecution of social media commentators accused of insulting Aliyev.
An Azerbaijani source told the outlet that the adviser’s removal would encourage Aliyev to take part in the summit. “Before this decision, the likelihood was less than fifty percent,” the source said.
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