Has a Turkey-Azerbaijan Crisis Erupted? Entry Ban Imposed on 31 Turkish Citizens
Azerbaijan has imposed an entry ban on 31 Turkish citizens, including politicians, journalists, writers, academics and media figures. In a statement dated October 21, 2026, and numbered 406/26, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry cited the individuals’ social media posts and online statements as the reason for the decision.
31 people declared “persona non grata”
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said the individuals had been designated “persona non grata” under the country’s legislation. According to the ministry, some of the statements published by those on the list allegedly targeted Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, national security, constitutional order, population and government.
The statement also claimed that some posts contained calls for the forcible change of power and incited violence and hatred on the basis of religious radicalism.
Fatih Erbakan among the names
One of the most prominent political figures on the list is Fatih Erbakan, leader of the New Welfare Party. HÜDA PAR Deputy Chairman Yahya Uğraş, HÜDA PAR Batman financial and administrative affairs official Sait Seyitoğlu, Toprak Party Chairman Ömer Ulutaş, economist and politician Aydın Binboğa, and MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu were also included.
Muharrem Çavuş, who served as head of the AK Party’s Boğaziçi Youth Branch between 2020 and 2025, was also named.
Ahmet Çakar also barred from entry
Sports commentator and former football referee Ahmet Çakar was another high-profile name on the list. Çakar stood out as the only figure from the sports world among the 31 people subject to the entry ban.
Journalists and writers also included
A significant number of media figures were also named in the decision. Among them were İsmail Kılıçarslan, Yusuf Kaplan, Murat Şahin, İrfan Kaya Ülger, Fatin Dağıstanlı, Akın Duru, Ahmet Barış İyison, Okan Aytaş, Adem Özköse, Mert Armağan, Yaşar Yavuz and Ahmet Sırrı Arvas.
Mehmet Boynukalın, a professor at Marmara University’s Faculty of Theology and former imam of Hagia Sophia, and theologian Halil Atakan Ay were also included.
The 31 Turkish citizens banned from entering Azerbaijan
- Ahmet Barış İyison
- Cem Özyurt
- Akın Duru
- Dursun Eker
- Adem Özköse
- Muhammed Emin Yıldırım
- Cüneyt Sezer
- Serhat Koyuncu
- Mikail Ayyıldız
- Ahi Aratoğlu
- Muharrem Çavuş
- Fatih Erbakan
- Yahya Uğraş
- Aydın Binboğa
- Hakkı Eren
- Sait Seyitoğlu
- Mehmet Boynukalın
- Okan Aytaş
- Mert Armağan
- Yaşar Yavuz
- Ahmet Sırrı Arvas
- Yusuf Kaplan
- Erdinç Teğmen
- Ahmet Çakar
- Halil Atakan Ay
- İsmail Kılıçarslan
Source: NationalTurk
