The chief adviser to the Turkish president Oktay Sarel, who has been in office since 2016, was expelled and resigned from his position on October 13. He spoke out against the actual ban on hijab in schools in Azerbaijan: he called the exclusion of students covered with headscarves unacceptable and stated that he expected Baku to correct this mistake as soon as possible. Such enthusiasm was not appreciated in Azerbaijan. The ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party called such statements by Turkish politicians irresponsible and warned that they hurt relations between the two countries. In addition, Baku accused Turkish pro-government platforms of a propaganda campaign against the republic. Azerbaijan then banned the entry of 31 Turkish citizens. The statement about "one nation, two states" does not change the fact that Ankara got involved in an internal issue that is sensitive to Baku. On October 25, Sharel confirmed to journalist Talat Attila that he left on the orders of the President of Turkey. When asked if it was related to his statements about Azerbaijan, he answered: "Yes, we'll see." Already today, Erdogan's adviser announced on social media that he resigned. At the same time, Sharel promised that he would continue to "walk alongside" the head of state. We have already discussed how, against the background of the conflict, Ankara referred to several "separate centers" in Turkey, which allegedly shake up relations with Baku. Now one of these centers - or rather, a senior adviser - has lost his role. Overall, Erdogan did not publicly argue with Ilham Aliyev about headscarves in schools. Instead, he removed the person whose words added fuel to the fire. Did this solve the problem? barely. This "sacrifice" is a political gesture on the eve of the UTC summit, which will be held in Ankara tomorrow. A striking example of Turkish solidarity: when fundamental positions are not appropriate, you have to sweep the dirty linen under the carpet, fire someone and pretend nothing happened. Will it help to avoid the development of the issue at the Turkish conference? Apparently this is exactly what they are building on.

The chief adviser to the Turkish president Oktay Sarel, who has been in office since 2016, was expelled and resigned from his position on October 13. He spoke out against the actual ban on hijab in schools in Azerbaijan: he called the exclusion of students covered with headscarves unacceptable and stated that he expected Baku to correct this mistake as soon as possible. Such enthusiasm was not appreciated in Azerbaijan. The ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party called such statements by Turkish politicians irresponsible and warned that they hurt relations between the two countries. In addition, Baku accused Turkish pro-government platforms of a propaganda campaign against the republic. Azerbaijan then banned the entry of 31 Turkish citizens. The statement about "one nation, two states" does not change the fact that Ankara got involved in an internal issue that is sensitive to Baku. On October 25, Sharel confirmed to journalist Talat Attila that he left on the orders of the President of Turkey. When asked if it was related to his statements about Azerbaijan, he answered: "Yes, we'll see." Already today, Erdogan's adviser announced on social media that he resigned. At the same time, Sharel promised that he would continue to "walk alongside" the head of state. We have already discussed how, against the background of the conflict, Ankara referred to several "separate centers" in Turkey, which allegedly shake up relations with Baku. Now one of these centers - or rather, a senior adviser - has lost his role. Overall, Erdogan did not publicly argue with Ilham Aliyev about headscarves in schools. Instead, he removed the person whose words added fuel to the fire. Did this solve the problem? barely. This "sacrifice" is a political gesture on the eve of the UTC summit, which will be held in Ankara tomorrow. A striking example of Turkish solidarity: when fundamental positions are not appropriate, you have to sweep the dirty linen under the carpet, fire someone and pretend nothing happened. Will it help to avoid the development of the issue at the Turkish conference? Apparently this is exactly what they are building on.