Four pillars of Azerbaijani-Israeli cooperation Ambassador George Deek speaks to The Jerusalem Post

The Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post has published an interview with Israel’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, George Deek. Caliber.Az presents selected excerpts from the article for its readers.

The Middle East is undergoing rapid changes. US President Donald Trump recently went to the Gulf, where he discussed groundbreaking deals and pushed for new ties with Syria. There’s talk of an Iran deal and of a Ukraine-Russia deal. 

The whole world may be shifting. As the tectonic plates of diplomacy move, the relationship between Israel and Azerbaijan is growing stronger and matters more for both countries. “My plate is full,” says Israel’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, George Deek.

Deek has been in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, for five years, arriving there in November 2019. Much has changed since then, and he has witnessed history being made – not only in the region but also between the two countries. 

When Deek arrived in Baku, he was in his mid-30s. He was young for an ambassador and ready to experience new things. 

“I came here in 2019, and when I spoke to my predecessor, he described a country that was welcoming and nice. There was a frozen conflict here in Nagorno-Karabakh; there is Russia, Iran, and Turkey, but everything is stable, I was told. 

“However, it seems the place has gone through a lot. First, there was COVID, and its land borders were closed and are still closed up to this very day. There was the war in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 and 2023,” he recalls.

These were also momentous times in Israel-Azerbaijan relations. Baku opened an embassy in Israel, and Azerbaijan has had to balance ties with its neighbors. This doesn’t just relate to Azerbaijan’s tense relationship and clashes with Armenia. It must also deal with Russia to the north and Iran to the south. 

“The Russia-Ukraine War led to an increased connection to the West via Azerbaijan, since the corridors and pipelines from and to Russia were sanctioned and blocked. Many things have happened at the same time, and it has been a historic transition period for Azerbaijan, and specifically in ties with Israel that have become more solidified, strategic, deeper, and more visible at the same time,” Deek says.

Azerbaijan has a population of 10 million, similar to Israel. It is more than three times the size of Israel and sits on the Caspian Sea. To its south is Iran, and to its west are Turkey and Armenia. To its north are Russia and Georgia. 

“Azerbaijan is the only country in the world that has a border with both Russia and Iran,” says the ambassador. He notes that it also borders Turkey, a member of NATO. 

“If you are a NATO member and want to go to a place like Afghanistan, there is no way to get there except via Azerbaijan.” This means that the airspace, or other routes, would pass through Baku because Iran and Russia are hostile to the West. “That is why Baku was important for NATO. It sits on a crossroads,” he explains.

History, influences

Azerbaijan’s population is primarily Turkic by ethnicity, and the people are Shi’ite by religion. This means they share commonalities with Iran and Turkey. Historically, Azerbaijan was ruled by the Russian Empire for many years, and then was a part of the USSR. 

“Russia had a huge influence on culture, lifestyle, and secularism here,” Deek notes. 

He also notes that it was the first Muslim country to give women the right to vote and to become the first real democracy in the Muslim world. 

“That is the ethos they have in the modern Azerbaijan, founded more than 30 years ago. It is linked to the Turkic countries in Central Asia, and then Azerbaijan and Turkey; those are the six Turkic countries. They have cultural ties with Russia and religious ties with Iran. 

“Also, the cultural ties linking them to the West. They participate in Eurovision and play soccer with Europe. They even sent a Jewish singer to Eurovision this year.” Yuval Raphael, the Israeli participant in Eurovision who came in second, has Azerbaijani roots.

Complex neighborhood

Deek says that it’s common for Israelis to see themselves as living in a tough neighborhood. Israel has a long history of conflict with its neighbors and suffering through the geopolitics of the Cold War. However, he says that when one compares Baku’s powerful neighbors, such as Russia, Iran, and Turkey, to Israel’s, Baku is also located in a complex neighborhood. 

Turkey is a friend of Baku; however, Tehran and Moscow can pose complex challenges. It was once under the Persian and Russian Empires, for instance. 

The success of Azerbaijan is found in its leaders. Deek points to the “leadership and wisdom of President Ilham Aliyev and his father, Heydar Aliyev (president from 1993-2003), tapping into natural resources, building pipelines that go westward, and that give them independence.” 

Oil and gas did not become a tool in the hands of the country’s neighbors. Washington has backed Baku’s play to connect its energy corridor east-west. The wealth and influence that come with energy also enable Baku to say no when it wants and to determine its future.

Deek says, “Azerbaijan’s strategy is to have balance. Azerbaijan is close to everyone but not dependent on anyone. It balances one relationship with another. That is how the country has been coping.

“It has built a prosperous state. A country that is relatively wealthy. People have a good lifestyle. Azerbaijan has hosted many events, especially in sports. In June, it will host a UFC event. It also hosted the World Climate Summit COP 29, the UN event in Baku last November.” 

Deek notes how Baku is now trying to diversify its economy. “We in Israel are helping it become less dependent on oil and gas,” he says.

Jerusalem-Baku: Four pillars

Israel-Azerbaijan relations are built on four pillars, the ambassador says. He adds that Israel recognized Azerbaijan’s independence from the beginning, in August 1991. 

“We define this as a strategic partnership. We have done internal polling which shows that over 80% of the Azerbaijani public sees Israel as a friendly country. It’s all across the public of Azerbaijan that Israel is a close friend,” says Deek.

What are these four pillars of the relations? First, there is the friendship and ethos of these ties. Deek speaks about the friendship of the Jewish people with a Muslim-majority country. “This includes tolerance and coexistence,” he says. 

This goes far beyond slogans. He says that it’s clear that Jewish people in Azerbaijan are welcomed, noting there hasn’t been an incident of antisemitism in 800 years. 

He also points to how Azerbaijan relates to its Jewish minority, and even a Jewish war hero from the war against Armenia in the early 1990s. Tank commander Albert Agarunov fought in the first Karabakh in Shusha and was killed in 1992. 

Today, he is regarded as a “Jewish shahid,” or martyr, and there is a statue of him in Baku. “Today, the Jewish community is around 15,000 to 20,000, and there are 80,000 Kavkazim [Jews from the Caucasus] in Israel,” Deek says.

Energy is the second pillar of the ties with Israel. “Around 30% to 40% of oil in Israel comes from Baku. Some that comes from Kazakhstan comes via the TBC pipeline,” Deek says.

The third pillar is ties relating to the defense and security sectors. “Baku is very open and public about these ties. Also in combating terrorism,” Deek points out. 

Israeli defense companies have been active in Azerbaijan for years, and the country has been a major client, acquiring certain Israeli weapon systems such as missiles and drones, according to numerous reports in Israel and foreign media. 

The fourth pillar relates to civilian ties. 

“In the past, the Azerbaijan president said the ties between Israel and Azerbaijan were like an iceberg, where there is a lot under the water and a tip above. The visible part has grown significantly since the Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020. I think the peak of it was the opening of the Azerbaijan Embassy in Israel in March 2023. That was the highlight of the visibility of our relations,” Deek says.

Warm welcome

The embassy was a big deal. Deek says that projects in Azerbaijan which are linked to Israel have become more visible and public. 

“We also see projects in the water industry (Israel’s Mekorot, for instance), as well as poultry, dairy, irrigation, and agriculture; and the Technion opened a center of cyber studies and security.” 

There is also cooperation in terms of space and satellite technology, as well as investment in innovation. 

“Baku has invested in OurCrowd and specifically in tech. The biggest step in the economic field are the steps taken by the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), the national oil and gas company, which in 2023 won a tender with BP to explore for gas offshore of Israel. It is supposed to begin soon. 

“SOCAR is also investing [in] the Tamar gas field, making it one of its biggest investments abroad. Now the partnership in Tamar comprises Israel, Azerbaijan, UAE company Mubadala, and US company Chevron.” 

In regard to air travel, Deek says, “There are two flights a day from Israel to Azerbaijan.”

Deek says the country has been very welcoming. As a new ambassador coming from Israel, he wondered how he would be received; in some countries, particularly Muslim ones, his position may not always be easy. 

“I was 35 when I began my work here. My background has never been an issue. I am Israeli, and the rest is irrelevant. As Christians, my family and I go to church here. Azerbaijan has built new churches, and the pope came here in 2016.”

Strategic role

It appears that Baku can also play a helpful role in Israel-Turkey ties and perhaps even in discussions about what happens next in Syria. 

“It’s important to see the country as a strategic asset. I always say it’s the most important country people haven’t heard of,” says Deek. He is also confident that things are moving in the right direction. He mentioned the EU’s Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas and the Iranian president’s visit to the country, as well as the planned visit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which was postponed in early May. Baku also expects high-level visits from Turkey and Qatar. 

“Not many places can host all these actors and build these bridges. Azerbaijan is playing a positive role between Israel and Turkey, and positions itself in a role between its allies,” says Deek. 

The Israeli ambassador has worked hard over the last half decade. Ties have expanded. The Azerbaijan Embassy is open. 

There are many opportunities ahead. Israel and Azerbaijan both have larger regional interests. This doesn’t only relate to Turkey but also to Central Asian states. Israel has ties with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.

Post-Oct. 7

How have things changed in the 19 months since the Hamas attack? 

Deek says, “I think our relations have proven, in the aftermath of Oct. 7, to be even more resilient. Azerbaijan was under pressure… to dilute its level of ties with Israel. 

“However, Baku didn’t succumb; it doubled down and continued. It …understood we have strategic ties, and real friends are measured in times of need. It refused to let any foreign entity influence its foreign policy.” 

As such, Azerbaijan has become one of Israel’s “most trusted and reliable partners,” says Deek. 

“I remember after Oct. 7, many people brought flowers and teddy bears and left messages of solidarity [at the Israeli Embassy in Baku]. It was heartwarming, and we felt it on the people-to-people level; and the relations of our governments reflect that on the personal level. We had many visits by ministers, including from Azerbaijan.

“Just as we stood with them during their time of need during the Second Karabakh War in 2020, they have shown they are standing with us, and that meant a lot for us as well,” the ambassador says.