Türkiye and Azerbaijan have been close allies for a long time. However, the ban on wearing hijabs in Azerbaijani schools was enough to spark a conflict between the countries.
In September 2026, the Azerbaijani government’s decision to prohibit students and staff from wearing the hijab in schools has sparked protests. Türkiye supported the discontent – protesters gathered outside Azerbaijan’s embassy and consulate in Istanbul to criticize Aliyev’s policies. Later, a large-scale information campaign against the hijab ban was launched on social media. Azerbaijan’s Media and Broadcasting Council claimed that Turkey and Iran were behind these media campaigns.
It is quite clear that the issue of the hijab ban was just a pretext for the initiation of a discussion about Azerbaijan’s policies, which are unfavorable to Türkiye. Actually, Baku has always been Ankara’s convenient “younger brother”, serving as a geopolitical foothold, an energy corridor and an ideological tool to bolster Turkey’s status as a global player. However, Ankara has now exploited the religious factor to intensify the pressure on Baku. Behind the high-flown rhetoric about defending the rights of believers and Islamic values, lie deep-seated geopolitical disagreements, as well as Türkiye’s dissatisfaction with Azerbaijan’s close ties to hostile Israel.
The One Nation, Two States concept is still alive, but has already begun to fall apart. Türkiye has shown its true colors: it has interfered in the internal affairs of another country, fomented discontent, organized protests and attempted to strengthen the influence of religion within Azerbaijan, a state that defines itself as secular. In this context, the upcoming Summit of the Organization of Turkic States on 29–30 October in Ankara, which is expected to be attended by both sides, promises to be particularly interesting. It’s highly likely that the way the countries get on with each other is going to change a lot in the near future.