Azerbaijani President Aliyev Skips Turkic States Summit Amid Rising Tensions with Ankara

OPA WIRE, Oct 30 (OPA) — Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev did not attend the Organization of Turkic States summit in Ankara, sending Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to represent the country instead. While official Azerbaijani sources cited a busy schedule—including events related to the FIFA U-15 World Cup in Baku—as the reason for his absence, the move follows weeks of public disagreement between the two nations. The diplomatic chill comes after Turkish officials criticized new Azerbaijani regulations regarding headscarves in schools, which critics argue effectively restrict religious expression.

During the summit, President Erdogan addressed the assembly without explicitly naming Azerbaijan, emphasizing the need for unity within the "Turkic family." He stated, "There is no place for separation, division, or conflict in our family image. We are all one, standing together, and by God's will, we will remain brothers forever." Foreign Minister Bayramov offered a brief acknowledgment of Turkey’s hospitality but did not address the underlying political tensions during his remarks.

Relations between the two nations have been strained by divergent foreign policy priorities, particularly regarding Israel. While Turkey has maintained a harsh stance against Israel following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, Azerbaijan continues to rely on Israel for strategic security, intelligence, and energy cooperation. Furthermore, Azerbaijan recently declared 31 Turkish citizens "undesirable persons," banning them from entry due to social media posts deemed harmful to Azerbaijani sovereignty, a move that followed Turkish criticism of Baku's domestic policies.

Despite these frictions, both nations remain economically interdependent, with Turkey serving as a primary buyer of Azerbaijani natural gas. The current cooling of ties marks a significant shift from the unprecedented cooperation seen following Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan during the 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. As Ankara seeks to normalize relations with Armenia—a process contingent on peace progress between Baku and Yerevan—the ability of both leaderships to manage these competing regional interests remains under close international scrutiny.