Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in Azerbaijan for an international summit attended by representatives of countries that have no diplomatic relations with Israel, including Iran, after taking an unusual flight through Turkish airspace despite Ankara's ban on Israeli government aircraft.
Among those attending were the emir of Qatar, Kuwait's deputy foreign minister, the ambassadors to Azerbaijan of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia, Bangladesh's acting foreign minister and Iran's deputy foreign minister. When Herzog addressed the summit, the representatives of Iran, Turkey, Kuwait, Pakistan and the Palestinian Authority left the hall. The emir of Qatar remained, as did representatives of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Central Asian countries.
Arab delegates walk out during President Herzog's speech
Herzog landed in Baku on Wednesday aboard a commercial Azerbaijan Airlines flight, allowing him to reach the Azerbaijani capital without taking a longer route over the Black Sea, which his team considered potentially dangerous because of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The flight also provided an unexpected workaround to Turkey's restrictions on Israeli official aircraft, which have previously disrupted visits by senior Israeli leaders to Azerbaijan.
Herzog arrived for a day-and-a-half visit to participate in the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), an international forum dedicated to strengthening cooperation and relations among Asian countries.
Alongside the Israeli president, the summit includes representatives from several countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, including Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia. An Iranian representative is also attending.
According to a report by Middle East Eye, flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 and footage from Herzog's welcoming ceremony in Baku indicate that the Israeli president traveled on Azerbaijan Airlines flight J222. The flight departed Ben-Gurion Airport at 11:35 a.m. Wednesday, crossed Turkish airspace and landed in Baku at 3:40 p.m. local time.
Images from the welcoming ceremony showed Herzog arriving on an Azerbaijan Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, matching the aircraft type recorded for the flight.
The president's team reportedly chose the commercial flight rather than a longer alternative route through Greece, Bulgaria and the Black Sea. The alternative raised security concerns because of continuing attacks on vessels in the Black Sea amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
Turkey has barred Israeli government aircraft from using its airspace, but commercial flights operated by Israeli and foreign airlines are still permitted to pass through the country on routes to and from Israel.
According to Middle East Eye, an official familiar with the matter said Azerbaijan had not informed Ankara that Herzog was aboard the flight.
"Naturally, Turkey cannot get the passenger manifest for every airliner just passing through the airspace," the Turkish official said. The official added that Israel had stopped submitting requests to use Turkish airspace because it was already familiar with Ankara's position.
Herzog lands in Baku
Turkey's restrictions have previously interfered with Israeli diplomatic travel. In May 2025, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed a planned visit to Baku, with reports at the time citing Ankara's refusal to allow Israel's official Wing of Zion aircraft to pass through Turkish airspace. Netanyahu's office cited developments in Gaza and Syria and a demanding political and security schedule.
Herzog himself canceled a planned visit to the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan in November 2024, amid reports that Turkey had refused permission for the Israeli state aircraft to cross its territory. This time, Wing of Zion was unavailable because of maintenance work, and Herzog traveled aboard the Azerbaijani aircraft instead. The President's Office declined to comment on the flight details.
The unusual journey also attracted attention because of the name of the aircraft carrying Herzog. Social media users identified the Azerbaijani plane as "Shusha," a name associated with the Shusha Declaration, a 2021 agreement between Azerbaijan and Turkey strengthening their strategic and defense cooperation following the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Some commentators interpreted the choice of aircraft as a further symbolic jab by Baku at Ankara, although there has been no confirmation that the aircraft was selected for that reason.
The diplomatic symbolism extended to the summit itself. Herzog met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev ahead of the gathering, which brings together countries with sharply differing positions on Israel and the wider Middle East.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not attend the summit, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan representing Ankara instead. Some reports suggested Erdogan's absence may have been connected to Herzog's participation, although this has not been officially confirmed. The meeting comes at a sensitive moment in relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan, two close regional allies.
Azerbaijan's recent school dress-code restrictions, which have prevented some students and teachers wearing Islamic headscarves from entering classrooms, have triggered protests and a public dispute involving political figures in both countries.
The restrictions have become another source of friction between Ankara and Baku, adding a further dimension to Herzog's appearance at the international gathering. On Thursday morning, as voting opened at Israeli diplomatic missions around the world ahead of the October 27 election, Herzog visited the Israeli Embassy in Baku alongside Israel's ambassador to Azerbaijan, Ronen Krausz.
"This is a very important moment during my state visit here to Azerbaijan," Herzog said. "I have the opportunity to see how the election process begins and how voting is actually conducted at Israeli diplomatic missions abroad, here at the embassy in Baku."
The president encouraged Israelis to participate in the democratic process and emphasized the importance of the upcoming election after a difficult period for the country.
"These elections are a celebration of democracy in Israel and at its embassies abroad," he said. "I call on all Israeli citizens to exercise their right to vote and, of course, to influence Israel's future."
Herzog also appealed for restraint amid political tensions surrounding the election campaign. "These are very important elections after a difficult period for the State of Israel, and the main thing I want to say to every Israeli citizen is that elections are not a civil war," he said.
"On the contrary, they are the genuine democratic process through which we influence our lives and determine the direction our country takes."
First published: 12:16, 10.15.26