Herzog scraps Azerbaijan visit after Turkey bans Israeli aircraft from airspace - report

After President Issac Herzog canceled his trip to Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani news source Caliber reported that the reason for the cancelation was that Turkey had prohibited an Israeli aircraft from using its airspace.

Caliber cited a high-ranking Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Ministry official in its report.

Herzog was supposed to participate in the COP29 climate conference in the country on November 20, along with numerous other global leaders.

Initial reports indicated cancellation was due to security concerns

Initially, Israeli media reported that Herzog canceled his trip due to security concerns. Azerbaijan borders the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Late last month, the Israeli president hosted a reception for the Israeli delegation that was set to head to Baku for the annual United Nations Conference on Climate Change, during which he expressed his pride that Israel was among the first countries to recognize the need for action in addressing climate change.

In May of last year, Herzgog visited Baku, where he lauded the strong and multi-faceted relationship between Israel and Azerbaijan.

The relationship between Israel and Azerbaijan is “not just Iran and defense; it’s also about trade, tourism, and energy,” Herzog said during the visit.

The trip came a couple of months after Azerbaijan became the first Shia Muslim country to open an embassy in Israel in March of 2023.

Tovah Lazaroff, Lahav Harkov, and Greer Fay Cashman contributed to this report.