Senior adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Hasan Nuri Yaşar, has urged caution over developments that he believes could strain relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan. In an October 14 statement, Yaşar alleged that three unnamed rival states were seeking to weaken the countries’ partnership and Türkiye’s ties with Central Asia, but provided no evidence for the claims.

Yaşar referred to regional instability involving the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and affiliated structures, alleging that unnamed actors were exploiting such developments through new methods. According to Yaşar, both countries should act patiently and monitor developments carefully, although he did not explain how the alleged efforts were coordinated or substantiate a connection to the school dress controversy.

Yaşar’s intervention followed criticism from Turkish officials over Azerbaijan’s enforcement of school uniform regulations affecting students who wear hijabs. Azerbaijan’s ruling New Azerbaijan Party responded to the Turkish criticism by accusing politicians in Ankara of interfering in domestic affairs, while defending Baku’s secular legal framework.

Devlet Bahçeli, leader of Türkiye’sNationalist Movement Partyand a key political ally of Erdoğan, also called on both countries to prevent the dispute from damaging bilateral ties. Bahçeli emphasized respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and domestic legislation, urging the preservation of the historical and cultural bonds between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s chief Islamic cleric, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh, rejected claims that the country had formally banned the hijab in schools, arguing that the regulations do not explicitly mention the headscarf. Pashazadeh likewise accused unnamed actors of using religion to turn citizens against the state and maintained that the issue would be resolved through the Ministry of Science and Education.