Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev did not attend a regional summit hosted by Turkiye on Friday. His absence fuelled speculation about a diplomatic rift between the historically close allies.
The two nations share deep cultural and ethnic connections, often describing their relationship as one nation, two states. Observers watched the Organization of Turkic States meeting as a test of bilateral ties.
Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov attended the gathering in Ankara for Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani media attributed President Aliyev’s absence to previously scheduled engagements.
The organisation brings together Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Farman Aydin, an analyst writing in the pro-government Azernews outlet, pointed to an increasingly hostile campaign against Baku.
The analyst wrote that hostility hurts most when it comes from a close partner. He said the refusal to attend sends a diplomatic signal that partnerships require mutual respect.
Tensions surfaced after Turkish social media users and members of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party criticised a September decision by Baku. Azerbaijan banned girls and teachers from wearing Islamic head coverings in schools.
Small protests took place outside Azerbaijani diplomatic missions in Turkiye. President Erdogan’s administration lifted similar prohibitions on headscarves after taking power in 2003.
Friction also grew over Baku’s close relations with Israel, amid strong Turkish criticism of military operations in the Middle East. Energy-rich Azerbaijan reacted angrily to the public criticism, seeing it as interference in internal affairs.
The Turkish government issued no official statement on the headscarf ban. Even so, Azerbaijan barred more than 30 Turkish nationals from entering the country, including the leader of a small Islamic-leaning opposition party.
Turkish media reports indicated that President Erdogan telephoned Aliyev earlier in the week with a personal invitation. Reports also said Erdogan dismissed an aide named Oktay Saral in an apparent concession to Baku.
In his opening address at the summit, Erdogan denied any division among Turkic-speaking nations. He said there is no room for discord in the family portrait of the Turkic world, affirming that the countries remain brothers.
Relations between Ankara and Baku matter for Turkish efforts to normalise ties with neighbouring Armenia. Turkiye closed its border with Armenia in the 1990s to support Azerbaijan, making any reopening conditional on reconciliation between Baku and Yerevan.
