President Isaac Herzog addressed the plenary session of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, on Thursday, calling for expanded cooperation between Israel and Asian nations and deeper political ties in the region. He made clear that peace cannot advance alongside terror and boycotts—speaking at an international summit attended by representatives from Iran, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
3+During his speech, Herzog addressed the importance of the conference, which Israel has been a member of since its founding—an initiative of former President Shimon Peres in the 1990s. He said that precisely at a time when gaps between nations are deepening and trust in international forums is eroding, there is special importance to expanding cooperation.
“We come together at a time in which the rifts between the world’s nations are seemingly broadening, only to be further aggravated by eroding faith in multilateral forums. Against this tide of cynicism, CICA stands as an oasis of cooperation and partnership,” the president said.
3+Herzog went on to present the Abraham Accords as an example of regional cooperation that succeeded in changing political reality, and expressed hope for expanding the circle of peace to additional Middle Eastern countries. “I hope and pray that we can see a vision of peace in the Middle East—with Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and with our neighbors, and that together we can fight terror in all its forms,” he said.
Herzog addressed the countries participating in the summit and emphasized that Israel is interested in deepening its political and economic ties, but made clear that cooperation cannot be separated from the fight against terror. “Israel aspires to and works toward deepening cooperation and expanding our circle of peace. But it’s important to clarify: peace cannot exist with terror, and cooperation cannot thrive with boycotts,” he declared.
3+The president added: “Members in this institution have the right to live freely and peacefully, without their existence being constantly threatened.”
He concluded his remarks with a call for continued dialogue and cooperation between nations: “As we move forward, let us continue building strive for common ground, choosing dialogue over division, and engagement over hostility.”
3+The speech took place during Herzog’s visit to Azerbaijan, where he arrived on a commercial flight operated by Azerbaijani airline AZAL. As we reported earlier, the plane carrying the president passed through Turkish airspace, even though Ankara bans Israeli government aircraft from its territory. According to reports, Turkish authorities did not know Herzog was on the plane.