Azerbaijan's government has designated 31 Turkish citizens as personae non gratae, barring them from entering the country, according to BBC. The decision follows statements and social media posts made after restrictions on headscarves in Azerbaijani schools, the broadcaster reported.
Those affected include journalists, members of parliament and religious figures. The list published by Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry on 21 October names Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a DEM Party MP for Kocaeli, and Fatih Erbakan, leader of Turkey's Yeniden Refah Partisi, according to BBC.
In its announcement, Baku said the individuals had made statements directed against the republic's sovereignty, national security and constitutional order. Authorities said they took into account remarks made on social networks and internet platforms that advocated forcibly changing the government or that stirred up violence, religious hatred and hostility rooted in religious radicalism.
Why it matters
The move lands in the middle of a sensitive stretch in Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, which Ankara and Baku routinely describe as fraternal. A travel ban aimed at Turkish lawmakers, clerics and commentators is an unusually public step between the two allies, and it follows weeks of friction over education policy inside Azerbaijan.
It also puts a spotlight on how far criticism from Turkey of Azerbaijani domestic policy can go before Baku responds with entry bans and criminal complaints. The dispute has drawn in figures from across Turkey's political spectrum, including a party leader whose movement is part of the governing coalition's broader political camp.
A phone call between Erdoğan and Aliyev
After the ban was announced, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a call with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev. Turkey's Communications Directorate said Erdoğan told Aliyev that the two countries would carry their cooperation further, drawing on the strength of their fraternal ties.
According to the same statement, Erdoğan invited Aliyev to the summit of the Organization of Turkic States, scheduled for 29-30 October in Ankara.
Erbakan's response and the school dispute
Erbakan reacted to his inclusion on the list in a post on X. He said the headscarf ban on students in Azerbaijan should simply be lifted, adding that it did not matter whether he was able to travel there.
He also referred to Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Baku, asking whether Azerbaijan's leaders had lost sight of their genuine friends after hosting him. BBC did not independently verify the characterization in Erbakan's post.
The restrictions that triggered the dispute took effect in Azerbaijani schools from 12 October, when reports emerged that teachers and students wearing headscarves were encountering obstacles at school entrances. Officials said the policy follows the principle of secularism, asking students and teachers to attend in school uniform without religious clothing or accessories.
Some students who were not admitted tried to follow lessons in schoolyards and on staircases. Some teachers removed their headscarves, while others submitted resignation letters saying they were leaving their posts voluntarily.
Reaction in Turkey was swift. On 13 October, Oktay Saral, a senior adviser to the Turkish president, wrote on social media that preventing students wearing headscarves from accessing education in Azerbaijan was unacceptable. Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for the ruling AKP, said groups protesting against Azerbaijan in Turkey had no connection to the party or the government. Aliyev, without naming Turkey, delivered a message telling others not to interfere in Azerbaijan's way of life. No AKP official appears on the list of banned individuals.
Prosecutors target Turkish broadcasters
Azerbaijan's authorities have widened the response beyond travel bans. The country's prosecutor general's office said it opened a criminal investigation into seven Turkish publishers over the headscarf debate.
Prosecutors named Rıdvan Kaya, a representative of Haksöz magazine; Zekeriyya Ceren (Abdullah İmamoğlu) of the Köklü Değişim publication; and Fatih Tezcan of the Analiz Merkezi platform as among those subject to arrest warrants. The office alleged that between 25 September and 18 October the individuals used social media posts to call for the constitutional order to be changed by force and circulated content promoting religious hatred and extremism.
Azerbaijan had previously brought a criminal case on similar allegations against Celal Çiftçi, a columnist for the Olay newspaper published in Şanlıurfa. Çiftçi later said on X that he apologized to the Azerbaijani state and people for remarks that went beyond his intent.
According to BBC Azerbaycanca, Azerbaijan's Press Council accused some Turkish media organizations of distorting the country's secular education policy. Media outlets close to the government in Azerbaijan, meanwhile, criticized Turkish authorities for not taking legal action against the people Baku has moved against.
The foreign ministry's statement said Azerbaijan would continue taking appropriate measures against calls directed at the republic and against activities that fuel hostility.
What to watch is whether Ankara moves beyond the phone call — and whether the 29-30 October summit in Ankara gives the two governments a venue to settle the dispute in person.
