Turkish President Erdoğan Considers November 8 Visit to Azerbaijan Amid Reports of Tensions Between Ankara and Baku

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday, November 5, that he was considering visiting Azerbaijan on November 8 for Victory Day celebrations, amid reports of tensions between the two countries.

Speaking to journalists aboard his presidential aircraft while returning from South Korea, Erdoğan said the trip would proceed unless unforeseen circumstances arose.

“November 8 is Azerbaijan’s Victory Day. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I intend to visit Azerbaijan on that day,” he said, adding that he hoped the visit would provide an opportunity to take necessary steps.

Erdoğan said he had already spoken by phone with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and sent his intelligence chief and foreign minister to Azerbaijan. He added that telephone contacts between the two leaders and their spouses were continuing.

The remarks came after reports of friction over Azerbaijan’s restrictions on Islamic headscarves in schools and criticism of those measures by Turkish officials. Aliyev also missed a recent summit of Turkic states in Ankara.

Rejecting the suggestion that relations were facing an insurmountable crisis, Erdoğan emphasized the countries’ shared history, culture and strategic ties.

“There is no obstacle that the brotherhood between Türkiye and Azerbaijan cannot overcome,” he said.

Azerbaijan marks November 8 as Victory Day, commemorating its victory in the 2020 war over Nagorno-Karabakh.