A diplomatic protest took place during the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, Azerbaijan, as Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and representatives from more than 10 countries left the hall when Israeli President Isaac Herzog began his speech.

The incident occurred during Herzog’s address at the summit held in the Azerbaijani capital. Fidan, who represented Türkiye at the gathering, was among the officials who stood up and left the venue as Herzog took the podium.

Representatives from Palestine, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh were also reported to have left the hall during the speech.

Diplomatic protest at international summit

The walkout was seen as a diplomatic reaction by several countries over Israel’s policies and actions, particularly regarding the situation in Palestine.

The CICA summit brings together Asian countries and focuses on dialogue, confidence-building measures and regional cooperation. The presence of Herzog at the summit prompted reactions from several participating countries.

Following the incident, Fidan continued his diplomatic contacts in Baku and held meetings on the sidelines of the summit.

(ILKHA)