Erdogan removes senior advisor following request from the country…

Ankara (Caasimada Online) — The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Sunday dismissed one of his senior advisors, a move aimed at improving relations with Azerbaijan following a dispute over the ban on hijabs in schools in that country, according to Middle East Eye.

Oktay Saral, who was one of the senior advisors in the Turkish presidency, confirmed his dismissal to Middle East Eye .

“I fully respect the president's decision,” he said in a message he sent to that media.

According to reports, Saral's dismissal was carried out at the request of Azerbaijan, in order to resolve the conflict between the two countries that share close ties in ethnicity, culture, religion, and history.

The Hijab Dispute

The tension arose from a ban that Azerbaijan imposed last month on the wearing of hijabs in primary and secondary schools. This decision sparked protests in Turkey and criticism directed at the Baku government.

At that time, Saral posted on social media criticizing the ban, urging Azerbaijan to reverse it.

That statement elicited a strong response earlier this month from the New Azerbaijan Party of President Ilham Aliyev. The party urged Ankara to avoid ambitions of exerting influence over other countries in the Islamic world.

Middle East Eye reported last week that Azerbaijan had requested Ankara to dismiss Saral and also to file charges against those who insulted Aliyev on social media.

} Aliyev's Participation

The removal from office comes at a time when Ankara is trying to persuade Aliyev to participate in the summit of the Turkic States Organization, which is taking place this week in Turkey.

Reports from both sides following a phone conversation between Erdogan and Aliyev on Thursday indicated that the Turkish president invited his counterpart to the summit. However, neither side mentioned whether Aliyev accepted the invitation.

Turkish officials are concerned that Aliyev may skip the summit, feeling upset over the protests in Turkey against the hijab ban, according to Middle East Eye .

“The removal of Saral will encourage Aliyev to participate in the summit of the Turkic countries,” a source from Azerbaijan told Middle East Eye .

“Before this decision, the likelihood of his participation was less than 50 percent.”

Previous efforts by Turkey to ease the tensions have not made any progress in the relations between the two countries. A visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Baku even sparked a wave of negative news and critical comments spread by Azerbaijani media.