Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,
A now-deleted Azeri article over the weekend, whose initial publication was perceived by many Turks as having been state-approved, prompted a complaint from the Turkish Embassy in Baku and worsened mutual suspicions among these fraternal people of what the other's government is up to.
The Turkish Embassy in Baku released a statement over the weekend denying a local media report that former spy chief-turned-Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's picture with members of the "Youth Assistance Foundation" during his latest trip to Baku to attend a multilateral event was proof of a secret meeting. The report has since been deleted, but the gist was that the aforesaid group and others are operating under Turkiye's influence to weaponize the recent pro-hijab protests for regime change purposes.
For background, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's condemnation of unnamed states' hijab bans in his UNGA speech last month preceded the entry into force of Azerbaijan's new school uniform policy that was interpreted by some administrators in that way, thus prompting a wave of protests. His Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev then
