{
  "id": 16495382,
  "title": "Erdogan sacks adviser amid efforts to repair ties with Azerbaijan over headscarf row",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/erdogan-sacks-adviser-amid-efforts-to-repair-ties-with-azerbaijan",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-25T16:30:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/erdogan-sacks-adviser-mend-ties-azerbaijan-amid-headscarf-spat"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed chief adviser Oktay Saral on Sunday in a bid to improve relations with Azerbaijan, Middle East Eye reports. Saral's dismissal comes after Azerbaijan imposed a headscarf ban in schools last month, sparking protests in Turkey and criticism from Baku. The ban led Saral to criticize the decision and call for Azerbaijan to reverse it on social media, drawing a harsh rebuke from Azerbaijan's ruling party. Despite both countries' leaders expressing an invitation for a meeting at the Organization of Turkic States summit in Turkey later this week, it remains unclear whether Turkish President Ilham Aliyev will actually attend. Turkish officials are worried that Aliyev, angered by the protests in Turkey over the headscarf ban, might skip the summit. Azerbaijani sources suggest that Saral's removal could encourage Aliyev to participate in the summit, as the likelihood of his attendance was previously less than fifty percent. Efforts to ease tensions between the two nations, which share ethnic, cultural, religious, and historical ties, have thus far been unsuccessful.",
  "summary": "Erdogan sacks adviser amid efforts to repair ties with Azerbaijan over headscarf row Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Sun, 10/25/2026 - 15:59 Adviser’s removal meets demand from Baku as Turkey seeks to secure President Ilham Aliyev’s attendance at a Turkic states summit Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ankara, 22…",
  "key_points": [
    "Turkish President Erdogan fires adviser Oktay Saral",
    "Azerbaijan bans headscarves in schools last month",
    "Saral's criticism of ban may encourage Azerbaijani leader's attendance"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}