Oktay Saral, a chief adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced his resignation on Monday, 26 October, after saying over the weekend that the president had ordered his departure amid a dispute over headscarf restrictions in Azerbaijani schools, Turkish Minute reported.

Source: Turkish Minute

Saral had criticised the exclusion of girls wearing Islamic headscarves from classes, sparking a rebuke from Azerbaijan's ruling party and adding to a rare public rift between the close allies, Turkish Minute said. In his resignation statement on X on Monday, Saral said he was leaving the advisory post he had held since 2016 while pledging to continue supporting Erdogan. "Positions come and go, titles change hands. What matters is not which office a person holds, but which values they stand behind," he wrote.

Source: Turkish Minute

His statement followed an interview with the Nefes newspaper in which he said he believed his removal was linked to his remarks about Azerbaijan, although he did not know for certain. "That is my view, but I do not know for sure. Our secretary-general conveyed the news to me on Saturday. I took it in stride," Saral said, Turkish Minute reported. He added that he respected Erdogan's decision and that Turkey's relationship with Azerbaijan could require such steps: "Particularly given our critical relationship with Azerbaijan, it is natural for certain decisions to be taken."

Source: Turkish Minute

Turkey Unfolding, reporting the dismissal on 25-26 October, said Saral confirmed his departure to journalists and that the decision came directly from Erdogan. An October 20 report by Middle East Eye said Azerbaijan had demanded Saral's removal following his public criticism of the country's school dress regulations, citing three officials and another source familiar with the matter. Neither government has publicly confirmed that the reported demand prompted Erdogan's decision, Turkey Unfolding noted.

Source: Turkey Unfolding, citing Middle East Eye