Aliev rejected Erdogan's invitation; A new sign of the difference between Baku and Ankara? The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, despite the personal invitation of the President of Turkey, Erdogan, did not participate in the meeting of the heads of state of Turkey. Aliyev's absence from this meeting drew attention to relations between Baku and Ankara and led to speculations about increasing differences between the two countries. Not long ago, Erdogan criticized the hijab ban in Azerbaijan.