Amid tensions that have persisted between Turkey and Azerbaijan for some time, Oktay Saral, chief adviser to the president, was forced to resign.
The tensions, initially fueled by Azerbaijan’s close relations with Israel and subsequently intensified by strong criticism from Turkey following Azerbaijan’s recent ban on headscarf in schools, prompted a backlash from Azerbaijan’s ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) against Presidential Chief Adviser Oktay Saral over his social media posts. Saral announced that he had resigned.
In a post on his X account, Saral wrote:
“Today, I have submitted my resignation from my position as chief adviser to our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a role I have carried out with great honor, dignity and responsibility since 2016. Positions are transitory; titles change hands. What truly matters is not the position a person occupies, but the values they stand behind. For us, what matters is not positions of office, but the cause we have pursued in the same direction for years and the struggle we have waged shoulder to shoulder with our President.
This decision does not mean taking a single step back from the values I believe in or from my determination to serve our nation. As yesterday, today and tomorrow, I will continue walking alongside our President with the same faith and determination. May God make us among those who stand firm in the light of truth, rather than those who seek power in the shadow of office. May He make us among those who defend the values they believe in, whatever the cost.”
Azerbaijani media coverage
The Azerbaijani press devoted extensive coverage to Saral’s resignation. The pro-government APA news agency, in an English-language report published on October 25, examined his departure in the context of the dispute between the two countries. In an article headlined “Turkish president dismisses chief adviser,” the agency reported that Erdoğan had dismissed Saral in an effort to end the dispute that had arisen over the ban on headscarf in Azerbaijani schools.
Azerbaijan-based Globalinfo also reported Saral’s departure on October 25, under the headline “Oktay Saral, who threatened Azerbaijan, resigns.” The report characterized Saral’s statements as “threatening” and claimed that they had provoked a backlash among the Azerbaijani public.
Globalinfo also published a report linking Saral’s departure to the upcoming summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). In an article titled “Former minister makes striking comment following Saral’s resignation,” the outlet quoted a social media post by Tofik Zulfikarov, Azerbaijan’s former foreign minister.
Following Saral’s departure, Zulfikarov wrote: “The October 29–30 summit of the Organization of Turkic States will be successful!” Globalinfo published the post shortly after Saral’s departure from office.
The report also recalled that Erdoğan had telephoned Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on October 21 to invite him to the OTS summit scheduled to take place in Ankara. Some Azerbaijani media outlets’ attempts to link Saral’s departure to efforts to ease diplomatic tensions came as contacts between the two countries continued.
How the tensions had escalated
Following Azerbaijan’s growing ties with Israel, which is committing genocide in Gaza, and its September ban on headscarf in schools, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized Azerbaijan without naming it during his address to the United Nations General Assembly. Erdoğan’s criticism was followed by vocal reactions from the Turkish public, and tensions between Baku and Ankara continued to rise.
On October 13, after Presidential Chief Adviser Oktay Saral criticized Azerbaijan over the headscarf issue in a social media post, Azerbaijan’s ruling New Azerbaijan Party issued a strongly worded statement accusing Turkey of interfering in its internal affairs and conducting a smear campaign.
AKP Deputy Chair Kürşat Zorlu subsequently said, “We resolve our problems within the family.” Nevertheless, tensions between Baku and Ankara persisted.
The day after that statement, on October 21, Azerbaijan declared 31 Turkish citizens persona non grata and banned them from entering the country. Later that night, Aliyev and Erdoğan spoke by telephone, but no detailed statement was released. It was reported that the president had invited Aliyev to the Organization of Turkic States summit scheduled to take place in Ankara at the end of the month.
On Saturday, Saral was asked whether he had been dismissed. He replied, “Yes. Our President had appointed me, and I left on his instructions. I have no hard feelings toward anyone.” Saral also said that his removal was related to the controversy surrounding Azerbaijan. On Monday, he issued a statement on his own social media account.
Azerbaijani President Aliyev is expected to visit Turkey later this month.
