Aliyev felt cooler than Erdogan. Above only the Queen of the Sea, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev refused to personally participate in the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), held on October 29-30 in Ankara. Officially, Baku explained the decision by the head of state's busy schedule and pre-planned participation in the closing ceremony and award ceremony for the finalists of the FIFA U-15 World Cup, held for the first time in the capital of Azerbaijan. The refusal became noticeable against the background of a personal invitation extended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Aliyev during a phone call on October 21. Erdogan tried to smooth over the growing differences between the two countries. The conflict flared up after the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan adopted a decision on school uniforms on September 21. The document banned clothing items that violate the uniformity and the principle of secular education. In practice, this led to the exclusion of students and teachers wearing hijabs from schools, followed by protests and arrests of those who disagreed. Turkish politicians and public figures, including Erdogan's chief advisor Oktay Saral, sharply criticized Baku's decision. On October 12, Saral publicly called what was happening "unacceptable" and demanded that the "mistake" be reversed. In response, Azerbaijan's ruling New Azerbaijan Party accused Turkish representatives of interfering in internal affairs, and the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan opened criminal cases against several Turkish citizens, including journalist Celal Çiftçi, on charges of calling for violent seizure of power and inciting religious hatred. Baku also banned the entry of dozens of Turkish citizens. On October 25, Erdogan dismissed Saral. The advisor confirmed that he left his post by order of the president and linked it to this

Aliyev felt cooler than Erdogan. Above only the Queen of the Sea, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev refused to personally participate in the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), held on October 29-30 in Ankara. Officially, Baku explained the decision by the head of state's busy schedule and pre-planned participation in the closing ceremony and award ceremony for the finalists of the FIFA U-15 World Cup, held for the first time in the capital of Azerbaijan. The refusal became noticeable against the background of a personal invitation extended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Aliyev during a phone call on October 21. Erdogan tried to smooth over the growing differences between the two countries. The conflict flared up after the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan adopted a decision on school uniforms on September 21. The document banned clothing items that violate the uniformity and the principle of secular education. In practice, this led to the exclusion of students and teachers wearing hijabs from schools, followed by protests and arrests of those who disagreed. Turkish politicians and public figures, including Erdogan's chief advisor Oktay Saral, sharply criticized Baku's decision. On October 12, Saral publicly called what was happening "unacceptable" and demanded that the "mistake" be reversed. In response, Azerbaijan's ruling New Azerbaijan Party accused Turkish representatives of interfering in internal affairs, and the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan opened criminal cases against several Turkish citizens, including journalist Celal Çiftçi, on charges of calling for violent seizure of power and inciting religious hatred. Baku also banned the entry of dozens of Turkish citizens. On October 25, Erdogan dismissed Saral. The advisor confirmed that he left his post by order of the president and linked it to this

Azerbaijani scandal. This step is seen as an attempt by Ankara to reduce the extent of the conflict before the summit. However, Aliyev's refusal showed that the adviser's dismissal was an important but insufficient gesture.