President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday he planned to visit Azerbaijan on Sunday, as a dispute over Baku's new rules restricting Islamic headscarves in schools strained ties between the regional allies.
"November 8 is Azerbaijan's Victory Day. Unless there are extraordinary circumstances, I plan to visit Azerbaijan on November 8," Erdogan told reporters aboard his return flight from South Korea, according to a transcript released by his office.
Tensions flared after Baku changed school uniform regulations in September, banning additions deemed incompatible with secular education.Erdogan dismissed one of his advisors, Oktay Saral, after he criticised the restrictions on headscarves in Azerbaijani schools, prompting President Ilham Aliyev's ruling party to accuse Turkish figures of meddling in
Azerbaijan's domestic affairs.
Last week Aliyev skipped a summit of Turkic leaders in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Azerbaijan was instead represented by its foreign minister.
Turkey and Azerbaijan usually enjoy close political and military ties, describing their relationship as "one nation, two states".
A former Soviet republic, Azerbaijan is a predominantly Shiite Muslim country but, after decades of Soviet rule, emerged as one of the most secular states in the Muslim world.