Erdogan says 'hijab conflict' in Azerbaijan: "Our solidarity is eternal"

On the 8th (local time), President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Azerbaijan, where conflict over hijab culture has intensified, and emphasized the 'solidarity' between the two countries.

According to AP and Bloomberg News, President Erdogan attended the Victory Day event held in Azerbaijan on this day and said, “Our solidarity will last forever.”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also emphasized, “Azerbaijan and Turkiye become stronger when they are together,” and added, “This bond will last forever.”

This day is the day Azerbaijan recaptured Shusha, a strategic point in the war with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh disputed region. At that time, Azerbaijan received military support from Turkiye. Turkiye and Azerbaijan are similar in language and ethnicity, so they are an alliance calling themselves 'one people, two countries'.

President Erdogan's visit on this day attracted attention as it took place at a time when diplomatic tensions between the two countries have recently heightened over the culture of wearing hijab.

On the 9th, the wearing of hijab was effectively banned in public schools as the Azerbaijani authorities banned clothing that went against the 'principle of secularism in education'.

The move was criticized by Turkiye's ruling party, which is rooted in Islam. Senior advisor to President Oktay Saral Erdogan called on Azerbaijan to withdraw the measure, and Azerbaijan objected, saying it was interference in its internal affairs.

President Erdogan dismissed Advisor Saral, but the conflict continued, with President Aliyev absent from the Turkic National Summit held in Ankara on the 30th of last month.

Bloomberg News commented on President Erdogan's visit to Azerbaijan on this day, saying, "It suggests the possibility of easing the recently heightened tensions between the two countries, which are regional allies."