Israeli President Isaac Herzog canceled a scheduled visit to the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan refused to allow the Wing of Zion state plane to pass through Turkish airspace, according to reports in Azeri and Israeli media on Sunday.
The claim was first reported by Azerbaijan’s Caliber.Az outlet, which is considered to be close to the Muslim-majority nation’s defense ministry, and was later confirmed by an Azeri official to Israel’s Ynet news outlet.
Baku worked to facilitate “the participation of all parties in the climate conference, but the situation surrounding the Israeli president’s visit arose for reasons beyond our country’s control,” the source said.
The official noted that “unprecedented security measures are also being taken in preparation for the conference in connection with the arrival of tens of thousands of guests and about 100 world leaders and heads of high-ranking delegations to the country.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that Baku is one of the safest cities in the world,” the Azeri government source added. “This is confirmed by the fact that a large number of Israeli officials have come to Azerbaijan, including President Herzog himself, who visited Baku on May 30 of this year. Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu also came to Azerbaijan for a one-day visit in 2016.”
Announcing the cancellation over the weekend, Herzog claimed the decision came “in light of the situation assessment and for security reasons.” Israel said the move followed tangible security threats.
On Nov. 13, Erdoğan announced that he had cut all ties with Israel, a declaration that the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem subsequently denied.
Speaking with Turkish reporters aboard an airplane en route to Ankara after an appearance at COP29 Baku, Erdoğan claimed that “The Republic of Turkey has cut off relations with Israel. We do not have any relationship with Israel at this point.”
Erdoğan also used his speech at the climate conference to call for “coordinated diplomatic efforts” to push Israel “into a corner.”
Jerusalem “is not aware of a change in the status of relations with Turkey,” according to a government statement. Israeli media reports noted that Turkey’s embassy in Israel was functioning as usual, while Jerusalem’s diplomatic mission in Ankara also remains open.
Erdoğan has become more hostile toward Israel and closer to Hamas since the terrorist group’s assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
In May, the Turkish leader called Netanyahu a “vampire who feeds on blood,” and urged Muslims to fight the Jewish state.
Two months later, Erdoğan told Newsweek that Palestinian terrorists from Gaza were “simply defending their homes, streets and homeland.”
