Israeli expert: Iran to discard Armenia as soon as reaches agreement with Azerbaijan
Yuriy Bocharov on Caliber.Az

INTERVIEWS  11 November 2022 - 12:40

Caliber.Az presents an interview with the candidate of political sciences, an Israeli expert and editor of Aziznews.com Yuriy Bocharov.

- Do you think, Yuriy Borisovich, that any changes in Israel's foreign policy towards Azerbaijan are possible with the arrival of a new government after the parliamentary elections in your country?

- The next parliamentary elections have ended in Israel the other day, and according to all indicators, a new government under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will appear shortly. And although certain changes are expected in Israel's domestic policy, no changes are expected in the foreign policy course, especially in matters of cooperation with Azerbaijan, which is the country's strategic partner.

- Not so long ago, Israel refused to sell weapons to Armenia. Is this fact somehow connected with the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict?

- Azerbaijan is a strategic partner of Israel, including in terms of military cooperation. Even during the 44-day liberation war in Karabakh, the supply of military equipment and ammunition to Azerbaijan from Israel did not stop, which caused open dissatisfaction with Armenia. Yerevan even recalled its ambassador from Israel. Naturally, Tel Aviv does not even consider the issues of arms supplies to Armenia, especially since it receives all weapons from Russia. And although we are "friends" at the official level and an Israeli embassy has even been opened in Yerevan, our relations are not very developed economically. Even tourism is in a semi-frozen state. I would also like to note that, despite all attempts by both Armenia and their Diaspora representatives, Israel has not yet recognised the "Armenian genocide".

- What new types of modern weapons can Israel offer Baku in the foreseeable future?

- The events in Ukraine have prompted many countries to actively cooperate with Israel, especially in the military field, since our state has something to offer both in terms of space intelligence, air defence systems, and offensive weapons. At the same time, not only the countries of Europe are showing interest, but even, which was unthinkable a few years ago, the countries of the Persian Gulf. So, most recently, the United Arab Emirates deployed an Israeli battery "Barak" to protect against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and Iranian drones. Not only the Emirates, but also other countries in the region are interested in radar systems developed in Israel, such as the "Sky Cloud", carried on a balloon, and the MMR radar (MMR) used by Iron Dome and David's Slingshot, which provides the ability to detect a greater variety of targets, and their mobility allows you to use in various scenarios.

But it is worth noting that military cooperation, and even more so negotiations on the supply of the latest military equipment always take place behind closed doors, and most often we find out about it when this equipment enters into battle on new territory. Therefore, based on the level of our cooperation, I think that Azerbaijan is well aware of all the latest developments in Israel, and negotiations may be underway somewhere even now, and the Azerbaijani military is directly acquainted with the latest achievements of the Israeli military industry. So, if necessary, Baku will be able to get everything that corresponds to its national interests regarding the protection of its territory.

- How would you comment on Armenia's close cooperation with Iran as opposed to Azerbaijani-Israeli relations?

- Armenia is hanging out in a triangle between Russia, the EU and the USA. Everyone puts pressure on it based on their interests. Armenia has long been independent in its decisions, and the political and economic situation inside the country does not allow its leadership to accept the terms of peace with Azerbaijan. Therefore, the Armenian leadership is always trying to delay time by flirting with Iran. Although it is Iran, solving its economic and political problems, trying to put pressure on Azerbaijan, flirting with Armenia and inventing all sorts of fables about Israeli spies on its borders. So Armenia is just another bargaining chip, and as soon as Iran agrees with Azerbaijan, it will immediately throw it away.

No one is interested in Armenia as a country today. There is no economy, industry, or large minerals, and there is not even enough labour force, because there is a constant outflow of population. Armenia is of interest to the West as a factor of destabilisation of the regional situation, especially in the confrontation with Russia and attempts to influence Azerbaijan's ability to supply energy resources to Europe.

- There has been some progress in relations between Israel and Türkiye recently. Is there a future for the relations between these two countries?

- Indeed, there has been a turning point in relations between Israel and Türkiye over the past year. Thanks to the active position of Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his direct dialogues with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a thaw has come after several years of "cold winter". Over the past few months, Israel and Türkiye have exchanged official delegations, ambassadors have been returned, and recently Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz visited Türkiye, and discussed issues of military cooperation. I think all this speaks to the development of Israeli-Turkish relations.

- I would like to hear your opinion on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Can it be settled in the long term?

- Israel is interested in living in peace with all its neighbours, including the Palestinians living both in the Palestinian Authority and in the Gaza Strip. Israel is in contact with all structures interested in this cooperation. However, at the moment, the Palestinian Authority is divided into several political and military groups, each of which does not represent the entire people of Palestine as a whole, but has its interests. Therefore, Israel does not have a negotiating partner today who would be responsible for the entire autonomy, and most importantly, after making any decisions on interaction with Israel, he could implement them. Therefore, shortly everything will remain unchanged, according to the principle of "no war, no peace". And for the future, it is necessary first to rid the Palestinian Authority of terrorist organisations, including those sponsored by Iran. Perhaps then there will be a real prospect.

- How far can the Iran-Israel crisis go and can it lead to a military confrontation?

- Unfortunately, the Iranian leadership openly calls for the destruction of Israel. In this regard, Tehran's desire to have a nuclear bomb becomes a deadly factor, to which Tel Aviv is obliged to respond with all seriousness. Although Israel had high hopes for the EU in blocking Iran's nuclear program, they were not justified. Therefore, Israel is considering all options for protecting the country, up to a military confrontation. And most likely, Israel, as always, will have to act ahead of the curve.

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