Azerbaijan's strides to keep Türkiye and Israel from confrontation Article in American media

The American website Newsmax published an article dedicated to the mediating role of Azerbaijan in reducing tensions between Türkiye and Israel. Caliber.Az offers its readers an adaptation of this material.

Editor's note: The author of this article is Wes Martin, a retired U.S. Army colonel with a master's degree in international politics and business.

Regime change in Syria has forced two key American allies, Türkiye and Israel, into a state of potential confrontation. While both have an interest in avoiding a clash, their respective imperatives threaten to undermine the interests of the other.

This emerging situation is unacceptable for Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijanis cannot afford to see the Turks and the Israelis on a collision course. Baku would not want to be forced to take sides.

What it has going for itself is that both Ankara and Jerusalem trust Baku.

The South Caucasus nation is uniquely positioned in that it enjoys close strategic relations with both sides, and so does the U.S. This would explain why this initial round of tactical-level talks took place in Baku.

Alongside these talks, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, on April 11, met with Erdoğan and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Antalya.

It is not the first time Azerbaijanis have played such a role. They played a critical role in helping Israel and Türkiye de-escalate in the aftermath of the 2010 incident in which IDF forces boarded a Turkish flotilla trying to run the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Similar mediation efforts took place in 2016 and 2020.

While technically outside the Middle East, Azerbaijan has a major stake in the stability of the region.

At a time when the U.S. is trying to ensure that Türkiye and Israel do not spar and is in talks with Iran on its controversial nuclear program, Azerbaijan can prove to be a key partner. Baku certainly has credibility with both the Turks and the Israelis.

American and Israeli commentators, as well as leaders of American Jewish communities, have been calling for the inclusion of Azerbaijan in the Abraham Accords framework. These include Simon Wiesenthal Center founder Rabbi Marvin Hierand senior rabbi based in the UAE, Eli Abadi who is close friends with President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the architect of the Abraham Accords.

The Trump White House — as it tries to manage the Middle East in which Türkiye and Israel will be competing for influence — can deeply benefit from a closer partnership with Azerbaijan, including by having it join the Abraham Accords.

Baku can be a critical player in the region in keeping with the Trump administration’s strategy to have regional actors take the lead on managing security.