Herzog canceled trip to climate confab because Turkey barred him from airspace — report
After Israel cites ‘security considerations,’ Azerbaijan, reportedly offended by implication Baku was unsafe, says Wing of Zion state plane was denied passage through Turkish skies
President Isaac Herzog reportedly canceled his planned visit to the United Nations COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, because Turkey refused to allow Israel’s state airplane, Wing of Zion, to fly though the country’s airspace.
Herzog’s office announced on Saturday that he was canceling his planned visit to Baku, saying the decision was due to “security considerations.”
However, according to a Sunday report on the Ynet news site, officials in Azerbaijan took exception to the suggestion that their country was not safe for Herzog to visit, and said the real reason for the cancelation was Turkey’s refusal.
Israeli officials were cited as saying that the cancelation was indeed due to security assessments, but that they at no point had said there was a security problem in Azerbaijan itself.
Azerbaijan, an Israeli ally, is bordered by Iran to the south, and a direct flight to Baku from Israel would either have to fly over Syria, Iraq and Iran, which is not possible, or over the Mediterranean Sea and through Turkey and Georgia.
According to the report, an Azerbaijani official said Israel and Turkey had engaged in “intensive negotiations through diplomatic channels that lasted for several days but did not yield results,” and ultimately Ankara refused to allow use of its airspace.
The official added that Azerbaijan had guaranteed security for Israeli officials, as it has done successfully in the past, including for Herzog and an Israeli delegation in May, and that “it is not an exaggeration to say that Baku is one of the safest cities in the world.”
The rest of the Israeli delegation to the UN conference, which includes three ministers and dozens of officials, are attending as planned, and arrived in Azerbaijan on November 11. The Ynet report said that the delegation arrived in Baku via commercial flights through Georgia.
The delegation is under tight security, given Azerbaijan’s proximity to Iran.
As in the past two COP events, Israel has a pavilion. It will include a corner focusing on Israeli hostages held by the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
Israeli figures are also taking part in events outside the pavilion. For example, Rabbi Yonatan Neril, founder and director of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, will participate in several interfaith sessions at the Faith Pavilion.
Anti-Israel protesters have demonstrated against Israel’s participation in the event. Activists staged a protest last week as the event began.
The pavilion is showcasing 20 climate startups (out of 80 that applied), with 10 exhibiting each week with the support of the Israel Export Institute. Dozens of events are planned at the pavilion, emphasizing the importance of regional and international cooperation.
“We attribute great importance to our participation at COP,” Foreign Ministry climate envoy Gideon Behar told The Times of Israel. “We cannot [give the impression] that the war has closed us off. We are part of the international community; we have a voice, can influence, want to contribute to the global battle on climate change, and have solutions and technology to offer.”
This year’s COP is focused on increasing the contributions of developed nations to developing nations. The former are primarily responsible for causing global warming by burning fossil fuels. The latter may bear the brunt of the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels, drought, floods, and increasingly devastating storms.
Sue Surkes contributed to this report.
