Azerbaijan President Skips Ankara Summit Amidst Rising Tensions with Turkey

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev was notably absent from the Summit of Turkic States in Ankara on Friday, despite a personal invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Aliyev sent his Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, to represent Azerbaijan at the gathering, signaling a deepening rift between the two historically close allies who describe their relationship as "one nation, two states."

The growing friction appears to stem from Azerbaijan's recent decision to ban headscarves in schools as part of new uniform regulations. This move sparked criticism from Turkish officials, including members of Erdoğan's ruling party, leading to outrage in Baku, which viewed it as interference in its internal affairs. Aliyev and other senior Azerbaijani officials warned against foreign intervention without naming Turkey, and the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry declared 31 Turkish citizens unwelcome in the country following social media criticism of Baku.

Ankara has made efforts to de-escalate the crisis. President Erdoğan personally invited Aliyev to the summit during a phone call last week and dismissed one of his advisors, Oktay Saral, for publicly criticizing Azerbaijan's headscarf decision. Despite these attempts, Aliyev did not attend.

Azerbaijan's Azeri-Press news agency attributed Aliyev's absence to pre-scheduled events and a busy itinerary, including participation in a FIFA U-15 World Cup ceremony in Baku. However, no official statement was released by Azerbaijan regarding his absence.

In his opening speech, Erdoğan emphasized unity among Turkic states without directly mentioning Azerbaijan, stating, "There is no room for separation, division, or conflict in our family picture. We are all one, together, and with God's help, we will be brothers forever." The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister offered thanks for the hospitality but did not address the tensions.

Further complicating the relationship are differing stances on Israel. While Turkey is a strong critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, Azerbaijan maintains close ties with Israel, particularly in security and energy sectors. Additionally, Turkey's efforts to normalize relations with Armenia, contingent on peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, add another layer of complexity, as Ankara seeks to reopen its border with Armenia, closed since the 1990s.

Despite the political tensions, the two nations maintain strong security and economic ties. Turkey supported Azerbaijan in the 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh war and is a major buyer of its natural gas. A significant rift could impact Turkey's ambitions to expand its influence in the Caucasus region, traditionally dominated by Russia.