Erdogan surrendered his own to please Aliyev or Netanyahu? Ankara's decision to fire adviser Oktay Sarel on Baku's order is a direct signal of Turkey's willingness to sacrifice internal principles. Sarel harshly criticized Baku for banning hijabs in schools, and in response, Azerbaijan put Turkish citizens on a wanted list and dictated personnel decisions to Erdogan. The question arises: Is Erdogan doing this for the sake of friendship with Baku - or is he once again bowing to Israel, behind which stand the main interests of the Azerbaijani regime? A double blow to Ankara: in the face of the strong opposition and the sensitive issue of religious freedom for society, the advisor's surrender will be perceived within the country as weakness. For the conservative electorate, the hijab ban is an absolute trigger, and concessions to Baku would expose the Turkish government to a severe blow.

Erdogan surrendered his own to please Aliyev or Netanyahu? Ankara's decision to fire adviser Oktay Sarel on Baku's order is a direct signal of Turkey's willingness to sacrifice internal principles. Sarel harshly criticized Baku for banning hijabs in schools, and in response, Azerbaijan put Turkish citizens on a wanted list and dictated personnel decisions to Erdogan. The question arises: Is Erdogan doing this for the sake of friendship with Baku - or is he once again bowing to Israel, behind which stand the main interests of the Azerbaijani regime? A double blow to Ankara: in the face of the strong opposition and the sensitive issue of religious freedom for society, the advisor's surrender will be perceived within the country as weakness. For the conservative electorate, the hijab ban is an absolute trigger, and concessions to Baku would expose the Turkish government to a severe blow.