30.10.2026 16:50
While the absence of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the summit of the Organization of Turkic States drew attention, an important diplomatic contact came from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Following the tension between the two countries over the headscarf regulation, Erdoğan's reception of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov and his emphasis on unity in the Turkic world from the summit podium did not go unnoticed.
The failure of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to attend the summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara has brought the diplomatic tension between Turkey and Azerbaijan back onto the agenda. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's reception of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov at the summit and his message of unity attracted attention.
HE RECEIVED MINISTER BAYRAMOV
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov within the scope of the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's not attending the summit and having his country represented at the level of foreign minister took place in the shadow of the tension recently experienced between the two countries.
ALIYEV DID NOT ATTEND, BAYRAMOV REPRESENTED AZERBAIJAN
Before the summit held in Ankara, eyes were turned to the participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. However, despite President Erdoğan's invitation, Aliyev did not come to Ankara. Azerbaijan was represented at the summit by Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
In the Azerbaijani press, Aliyev's failure to attend the summit held in Turkey was presented as due to a previously planned schedule. It was reported that Aliyev attended the closing and award ceremony of the FIFA U-15 World Cup held in Baku on the same day.
HEADSCARF TENSION BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES
Aliyev's not attending the summit came after the diplomatic tension experienced between Ankara and Baku in recent weeks.
At the center of the tension were the dress regulations implemented in schools in Azerbaijan and restrictions on the headscarf. After some figures from Turkey criticized the practices in question, the Baku administration reacted on the grounds that the country's internal affairs were being interfered with.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared 31 Turkish citizens persona non grata due to their social media posts and banned them from entering the country. President Erdoğan, meanwhile, held a phone conversation with Aliyev after the developments and invited his counterpart to the summit in Ankara.
The resignation of Chief Advisor to the President Oktay Saral after the headscarf debates was among the notable developments of the diplomatic crisis.
ERDOĞAN'S MESSAGE OF UNITY: THERE IS NO ROOM FOR SEPARATION OR DISCORD
In his opening speech at the summit, President Erdoğan emphasized the unity and solidarity of the Turkic world. Erdoğan's message, especially through the family photo, attracted attention at the summit that Aliyev did not attend.
Erdoğan used the following statements in his speech:
"In the family photo of the Turkic world, there is no room for separation, discord, or conflict. We are all one, together, and, God willing, brothers from eternity to eternity."
Due to the tension between the two countries and Aliyev's not attending the summit, these words of Erdoğan were interpreted as a message of unity and solidarity directed at the Baku administration.