Turkey Outraged as Israeli President Flies Over Its Airspace
Translated & summarized from NEWSru Israel by baba
Turkish authorities are outraged after Israeli President Isaac Herzog flew over their airspace on a commercial flight to Azerbaijan, bypassing a Turkish ban. Herzog attended a summit in Baku and met with President Ilham Aliyev, while the Turkish foreign minister walked out during his speech. Azerbaijan stated Herzog traveled as a regular passenger on a commercial flight and is not obligated to inform other countries about its routes. The incident occurs amid broader tensions between Turkey and Azerbaijan, including disagreements over Israel's ties with Baku.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israeli President Isaac Herzog bypassed a Turkish airspace ban by flying on a commercial flight to Azerbaijan.
- Turkey expressed outrage over the flight, with its foreign minister walking out during Herzog's summit speech.
- Azerbaijan stated Herzog traveled as a regular passenger on a commercial flight and is not obligated to inform other countries.
- This incident follows a previous instance where Turkey denied Herzog's flight permission, causing him to miss COP29.
- The dispute occurs amid broader tensions between Turkey and Azerbaijan, including over Baku's ties with Israel.
Turkish authorities expressed outrage after Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in Baku on a commercial flight, bypassing a Turkish ban on Israeli officials using its airspace. Herzog landed in Azerbaijan's capital on Wednesday aboard a regular Azerbaijan Airlines flight, circumventing Ankara's prohibition. Turkish officials later stated they were unaware of the Israeli president's presence on the passenger plane, according to OC-media.
This incident follows a previous instance in 2024 where Turkey denied Herzog permission to fly over its territory, forcing him to cancel his participation in the COP29 climate conference in Baku. However, Herzog recently traveled to Baku unimpeded to attend the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit. During his visit, he held a separate meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
In a show of displeasure, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and other members of the Turkish delegation demonstratively left the hall during Herzog's speech at the summit. Video footage of this moment circulated widely on social media.
Azerbaijan responded to Turkey's objections by stating that they did not organize a special or unusual flight for the Israeli president's visit. He arrived as a passenger on Azerbaijan Airlines commercial flight J222. Baku asserted it is not obligated to inform any country about its flights. The pro-government Azerbaijani agency APA reported that Herzog, his aide, and a small delegation purchased tickets and traveled like any other passengers on the Baku-Tel Aviv-Baku route.
APA criticized the Turkish reaction as manipulative, suggesting that applying such scrutiny to commercial flights would necessitate checking passengers on Turkish Airlines and other carriers. The current dispute occurs amid reports of strained relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan, reportedly linked to Azerbaijan's controversial ban on hijab-wearing in schools. Turkey has also long voiced discontent over Baku's close ties with Israel, with some Turkish commentators linking the alleged disregard for Islam in Azerbaijan to its friendship with Israel.
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