Erdogan clarifies Türkiye's airspace ban for Israeli leader

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that Türkiye did not grant permission for Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s plane to fly through Turkish airspace en route to Baku for the UN COP29 Climate Summit, explaining the decision as consistent with Ankara’s policies.

“As you know, we have completely severed trade relations with Israel. Regarding the Israeli president's visit to Azerbaijan for the COP29 summit, we did not allow him to use our airspace. There are other routes and he has other ways to get there. I don't know if he was there in the end. But we, Türkiye, are obliged from now on to demonstrate our position on a number of issues and we will do so,” Erdogan stated at a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, where he participated in the G20 summit, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Earlier, Caliber.Az had initially reported the closure of Turkish airspace for Herzog's plane, citing a high-ranking source within Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry. The Israeli president's office subsequently announced that Herzog's visit to Azerbaijan had been cancelled “for security reasons.” Herzog had previously said in late October that he would attend the COP29 climate conference in Baku, being held in Baku from November 11 to November 22.

Erdogan also reiterated the need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. “The Israeli government is committing crimes against humanity by not allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, which it has turned into an open-air prison. The humanitarian consequences of the state terrorism unleashed by Israel in our region with the support of Western powers are growing every day. History will not forgive those who remain silent about these atrocities. We declare at every opportunity the need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire to end the genocide in Gaza and the massacre in the West Bank [Jordan]. We reiterated this call at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, and as a result of our initiatives, strong statements on Gaza were included in the G20 leaders' declaration,” Erdogan said following the summit.

He further mentioned that Türkiye has joined South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel at the UN International Court of Justice. “Coercive measures against Israel, which the international system has failed to stop, should be taken on the basis of international law,” Erdogan added.

Erdogan declared on November 13 that Türkiye had fully severed relations with Israel and would not attempt to restore them. He emphasized Türkiye's efforts to pressure Israel through legal and diplomatic channels. “At the moment, we, the state and government of the Republic of Türkiye, have severed relations with Israel. At the moment we have no relations with Israel. And we are not taking any steps to improve these relations in the future,” he stressed, affirming Türkiye’s unwavering support for Palestine.

By Tamilla Hasanova