Herzog Attends Summit Alongside Iranian Representative, Bypasses Turkish Flight Ban
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
Israeli President Isaac Herzog attended an international summit in Azerbaijan, sitting alongside representatives from Iran and other nations without diplomatic ties to Israel. He bypassed a Turkish ban on Israeli government flights by traveling on a commercial Azerbaijani airline. Herzog also met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and voted in the upcoming Israeli elections at the embassy in Baku.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- President Isaac Herzog attended a summit in Azerbaijan with Iranian and other representatives.
- Herzog used a commercial flight to bypass Turkey's ban on Israeli government aircraft.
- A Turkish official stated Ankara was not informed of Herzog's presence on the flight.
- Herzog met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during his visit.
- The Israeli president voted in upcoming elections at the embassy in Baku.
President Isaac Herzog is participating in an international summit in Azerbaijan alongside representatives from countries with no diplomatic ties to Israel, including Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iraq. The summit is part of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), focused on regional security and trust-building.
Herzog's journey to Baku involved a notable maneuver to circumvent Turkey's ban on Israeli government aircraft. He traveled on a commercial flight operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), which crossed Turkish airspace without issue. This allowed for a more direct route compared to longer alternatives. According to a report, Turkish officials stated that Azerbaijan did not inform Ankara of the Israeli president's presence on the flight, and Turkey cannot vet passenger lists for all civilian aircraft.
The summit's unusual composition, particularly the presence of an Iranian representative at the same event as the Israeli president, highlights regional tensions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was absent, sending Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan instead, though no official confirmation linked his absence to Herzog's attendance.
During his visit, Herzog also met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and visited the Israeli embassy in Baku to mark the opening of voting for the 26th Knesset elections abroad. He addressed the Israeli public, emphasizing that elections should not be a civil war.
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