Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been forced to cancel his trip to Azerbaijan. The trip was as planned. The trip was canceled due to the restrictions on Israeli flights through Turkish airspace.
Although Netanyahu’s office cited the regional situation as well as ‘tight political and security schedules’ as the reason for the cancellation of the trip, the media outlet Walla reported that the main reason was Turkish obstruction.
The incident occurred in May, when Netanyahu had planned to visit Azerbaijan. However, his trip had to be canceled after Turkey refused to allow the Wings of Zion State plane to fly through its airspace.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said that they had examined the possibility of traveling to Baku via an alternative flight route via Greece and Bulgaria, but decided to cancel the trip because it would double the time.
Earlier in November 2024, Israeli President Isaac Herzog canceled his planned visit to the UN COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan at the last minute, citing “security concerns.” However, reports at the time said the real reason for the cancellation was Turkey’s refusal to allow Wings of Zion to fly through its airspace.
Direct flights from Israel to Azerbaijan are limited, as most flights have to fly over Turkey, or alternatively, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Source: Times of Israel