'Wing of Zion' denied passage through Turkish airspace, Israeli Pres Herzog cancels UN climate change summit participation

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office announced on Saturday evening that "in light of the situation assessment and for security reasons, he decided to cancel his trip to the climate conference in Azerbaijan."

The hosts of the United Nations COP29 Climate Change conference were reportedly offended by the framing of the official Israeli statement as it implied that Azerbaijan is not capable of providing sufficient security to foreign dignitaries.

Caliber News, a news outlet affiliated with the Azeri government, claimed the reason Herzog’s visit was canceled was due to Turkey’s refusal to allow the Wing of Zion, to pass through Turkish airspace. The "Wing of Zion," the official aircraft of the State of Israel, serves as the transport for the president and prime minister during their international visits.

Unnamed Azeri officials reportedly confirmed the report to Israel's Ynet News.

"Unfortunately, intensive negotiations through diplomatic channels that lasted for several days did not yield results. Azerbaijan provides [sic] has created appropriate conditions for 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 Azeri source stated, referencing Turkey's decision to deny airspace access.

The Azeri official argued that the nation's capital, Baku, is one of the safest cities in the world.

"It is not an exaggeration to say that Baku is one of the safest cities in the world," the source said. "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 Netanyahu also came to Azerbaijan for a one-day visit in 2016."

The Azeri source also said 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."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a vocal critic of the Jewish state on the international stage.

Erdoğan, who leads an Islamist party, has refused to condemn the unprecedented Hamas massacre of 1,200 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7 and does not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. Instead, the Turkish leader blasted Israel for defending itself, accusing the Jewish state of committing “war crimes” against Palestinians in Gaza. Erdoğan has also compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

In July, Erdoğan issued a thinly veiled threat against Israel, expressing support for Hamas and Gaza.

“We must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these things to Palestine,” Erdogan stated. “Just as we entered [Nagorno-] Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we might do the same to them. There is nothing we cannot do. Only we must be strong,” the Turkish president added.

In contrast, the Muslim-majority country Azerbaijan has embraced close diplomatic and military ties with the State of Israel. Like Israel and many Arab states, Azerbaijan feels threatened by the Iranian regime’s aggressive regional policies.

In July 2023, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned its neighbors of the Iranian threat during his visit to Azerbaijan.

“I will present to the Azerbaijanis, in an accurate manner, the global danger of military nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran. I will detail to them the dangerous actions that Iran is doing within the borders of Israel... and throughout the Middle East,” Gallant stated.