Oktay Saral, chief adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been dismissed roughly two weeks after criticising a ban on headscarves in Azerbaijani schools. Saral confirmed his removal in a phone call with journalist Talat Atilla, saying it came on Erdogan’s instructions.
According to Turkish media reports, journalist Talat Atilla called Oktay Saral to ask whether he had been removed from his post as chief adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Yes. We are not attached to positions. Our esteemed president appointed me, and I left on his instructions. I hold no grudge against anyone,” Saral replied.
Asked by the journalist whether his dismissal was linked to his statements about Azerbaijan, Saral said: “Yes, it appears so.” He added: “What matters is the Republic of Turkey. What matters is the success of our esteemed president.”
News of Saral’s dismissal was first reported by Fuat Ugur, a journalist known for his ties to the Turkish government. The Turkish Presidential Administration has not issued an official statement on the matter.
How the dispute began
New school uniform rules that took effect in Azerbaijan in September ban additional clothing items that disrupt uniform standards at primary, general secondary and full secondary schools. Turkish media subsequently reported that students and teachers wearing headscarves were being barred from schools.
In mid-October, Oktay Saral wrote on social media that “blocking the right to education of headscarf-wearing students in Azerbaijan is unacceptable,” calling on Azerbaijan to reverse the decision. Azerbaijan’s ruling New Azerbaijan Party responded with an official statement criticising the stance taken by Saral and some AK Party lawmakers, urging Turkey not to interfere in Azerbaijan’s internal affairs.
The Middle East Eye website reported on October 20, citing three officials and a source familiar with the matter, that Baku had asked Ankara to remove Saral from his post. That claim has not been confirmed by official sources.
Ahead of the Ankara summit
Saral’s departure comes just before the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, due to be held in Ankara in late October. The Communications Directorate of the Turkish Presidential Administration announced on October 21 that Erdogan had spoken by phone with President Ilham Aliyev and invited him to the Ankara summit.
Who is Oktay Saral
Oktay Saral was born in 1967 in the Of district of Trabzon and graduated from the civil engineering faculty of Karadeniz Technical University. He was elected mayor of Of in 2004 and 2009, and served as an AK Party member of parliament for Istanbul from 2011 to 2015. He was later appointed chief adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
