Erdogan's adviser dismissed after criticizing hijab ban in Azerbaijan

Turkish presidential adviser Ökçay Saral acknowledged his removal from office amid an escalating Turkish-Azerbaijani diplomatic crisis that intensified following his statements criticizing restrictions on headscarves in Azerbaijani schools.

Saral told journalist Talat Atilla when asked about his dismissal: "We are not equals. The president is the one who appointed me," and added that he left his position on the president's orders, and that he holds no resentment toward anyone. When asked whether the dismissal was linked to his statements about Azerbaijan, he answered: "Yes, it appears so."

Middle East Eye revealed in a report published on October 20 by Ragıp Soylu that the Baku administration formally requested from Ankara that Saral be dismissed following his statements. Journalist Fuad Oğur, close to the authorities, commented on the matter via the X platform saying: "Ökçay Saral has been dismissed from his position," noting that he was one of the president's advisers whom they held in high regard, and expressed deep sadness about it. In contrast, Saral has not issued any statement thus far.

The New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), led by President Ilham Aliyev, had issued a statement on October 13 in response to Saral's statements and several deputies from the ruling Justice and Development Party, stating that "the escalation of the media campaign against Azerbaijan and its acquisition of a more aggressive, systematic, and slanderous character" makes it necessary to express the position frankly, especially given the significant involvement of advisers to the Turkish president and deputies from the ruling Justice and Development Party in this campaign.

On October 20, Azerbaijan announced the opening of arrest warrants against seven Turkish citizens on charges of "calling for change to the constitutional system by force" and "inciting religious hatred," then classified on October 21 31 Turkish nationals, including the head of the New Welfare Party Fatih Erbakan, as undesirable persons.

The dismissal came ahead of the anticipated summit of the Organization of Turkic States scheduled for Ankara on October 30, and following a telephone call that took place on October 21 between President Erdogan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, in which the latter invited him to attend the summit according to a statement by the Presidential Communications Directorate.

It should be noted that the Azerbaijani regulation issued on October 13 bans "clothing items that disrupt the uniformity of school attire and contradict the principle of secularism" without explicitly mentioning the hijab or any specific religious garment, yet several media outlets and religious figures interpreted this as a ban on headscarves in schools, and the controversy quickly expanded to include Turkey and Iran.