Inside the Turkey-Azerbaijan rift: How a headscarf ban strained an alliance
Inside the Turkey-Azerbaijan rift: How a headscarf ban strained an alliance Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Mon, 10/19/2026 - 12:36 Azerbaijani media accuse Turkish foreign minister of plotting unrest as Baku demands Erdogan adviser’s dismissal over headscarf ban remarks Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pictured during the United Nations Climate Change…
Azerbaijani media claim Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan plotted unrest in the country following its decision to ban headscarves in primary and secondary schools. The headscarf ban sparked protests in Turkey, leading to Fidan's visit to Baku for a regional summit and a trip to a Turkish educational foundation. Azerbaijani sources allege that Fidan gave specific instructions during the meeting aimed at destabilizing Aliyev's administration.
Turkish officials insist the accusations are unfounded and attribute the tension to Erdogan's UN speech criticizing countries that impose barriers to education for Muslim girls.
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