Baku and Jerusalem: 30-year alliance bridging East and West Quiet force behind Middle East diplomacy

The Israeli TV channel i24News has published an article by Avi Monakov exploring the strong alliance between Azerbaijan and Israel, a partnership spanning 30 years. The piece highlights how these two nations have become staunch allies, consistently supporting one another on the global stage, including in Türkiye and the US. Caliber.Az is pleased to present our readers with an adapted version of this insightful analysis.

The election of US President Donald Trump marked the start of accelerated diplomatic engagements between Baku and Washington, facilitated through various Jewish and Israeli channels. Just one day after Trump’s inauguration, the presidents of Israel and Azerbaijan convened in Davos.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog initiated the meeting to address multiple topics with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, with whom he has maintained a longstanding and amicable relationship. Official statements from the meeting highlighted discussions on economic and trade cooperation, with both leaders praising the effectiveness of their joint intergovernmental commission. This dialogue occurred shortly before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled trip to Washington to meet President Trump.

On December 11, the president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Michael Tuchin, along with incoming president Bernie Kaminetsky, traveled to Baku to hold talks with President Aliyev. Their discussions focused on deepening ties between Azerbaijan and the US, a relationship critical to Israel’s security but reportedly undervalued by the Biden administration.

Two days after this visit, Hikmet Hajiyev, a senior aide to President Aliyev, arrived in Jerusalem for meetings with Israeli officials, including President Herzog, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and others. Upon returning to Baku, Hajiyev briefed President Aliyev before heading to Ankara. Reports in the Turkish media suggested that Hajiyev was acting as a mediator between Israel and Türkiye to address issues concerning the situation in Syria.

As a close ally of both Israel and Türkiye, Azerbaijan has consistently sought to facilitate better relations between the two nations, often stepping in during periods of tension. It is highly likely that Azerbaijan’s efforts contributed to the January 21 announcement by Nail Olpak, president of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), regarding Türkiye’s readiness to resume trade with Israel if a lasting peace is achieved in Gaza.

This enduring partnership between Azerbaijan and Israel, which has spanned three decades, is marked by mutual support and advocacy in both Türkiye and the US. A recent study by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies highlighted Azerbaijan’s unique relationship with Israel, presenting it as a model for other Muslim-majority countries.

Moreover, Azerbaijan played a pivotal role in advancing President Trump’s initiatives to foster ties between Israel and Gulf states, as well as with other moderate Muslim nations. Meetings in Baku involving Israeli representatives and senior Arab leaders occurred well before such interactions became formalized in Israel. Following the signing of the Abraham Accords, Baku quickly emerged as one of the first venues where Israeli and UAE diplomats engaged in establishing bilateral contacts.