The empty chair at Erdogan's summit: The close ally stayed home

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was absent from the Organization of Turkic States summit in Ankara, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, despite a personal invitation. Instead, he sent Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. No official explanation was given, but the absence comes amid mutual criticism in the media between the two countries over Azerbaijan's ties with Israel and a dispute over headscarves in schools. At the summit, Erdogan called for expanding humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and reiterated support for a Palestinian state.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was absent from the Organization of Turkic States summit hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, despite a personal invitation. Azerbaijan was represented by Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, while Aliyev attended an under-15 football tournament final in Baku. No official explanation was published for the absence, but it occurs against the backdrop of mutual criticism in the media between the two countries. One point of friction is Azerbaijan's relationship with Israel; an opinion piece by the Azerbaijani APA agency claimed that these ties served as a basis for a wave of criticism against Baku in the Turkish media. Another point is a dispute over headscarves in Azerbaijani schools. At the summit, Erdogan called for expanding humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and reiterated his support for the establishment of a Palestinian state.