Erdogan sacks adviser amid efforts to repair ties with Azerbaijan over headscarf row

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sacked a chief adviser on Sunday in an effort to mend ties with Azerbaijan amid a dispute over a headscarf ban, Middle East Eye understands.

Oktay Saral, a chief presidential adviser, confirmed his dismissal to MEE.

“I have absolute respect for the president’s decision,” he said in a message.

MEE understands that Saral was dismissed to meet Azerbaijani demands aimed at ending the crisis between the two countries, which share ethnic, cultural, religious and historical ties.

A headscarf ban imposed by Azerbaijan in primary and secondary schools last month triggered protests in Turkey and criticism of Baku.

Saral also posted a message on social media at the time, criticising the decision and calling on Baku to reverse it.

His comments drew a harsh rebuke earlier this month from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s New Azerbaijan Party, which urged Ankara to avoid hegemonic tendencies in the Islamic world.

Ankara has been trying to persuade Aliyev to attend the Organisation of Turkic States summit in Turkey later this week.

Both Turkish and Azerbaijani readouts of a phone call between the two leaders on Thursday said Erdogan had invited Aliyev to the summit, but neither indicated whether he would attend.

Turkish officials were concerned that Aliyev, angered by the protests in Turkey against the headscarf ban, might skip the summit.

MEE reported last week that Azerbaijan had demanded that Ankara sack Saral, along with the prosecution of social media commentators who had insulted Aliyev.

“Saral’s ouster would encourage Aliyev to participate in the Turkic states summit,” an Azerbaijani source told MEE.

“Before this decision, the likelihood was less than fifty percent.”