Media: Israeli PM Netanyahu expected to visit Azerbaijan soon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel soon on an official visit to Azerbaijan, Israel Hayom has learned.

While the exact date of the trip has yet to be finalised, it is set to take place shortly. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet in Baku with President Ilham Aliyev, with whom he shares a longstanding relationship marked by close cooperation. Azerbaijan, a Shiite Muslim country, maintains a notably friendly stance toward Israel.

The visit follows "technical talks" held in Baku two weeks ago between senior Israeli and Turkish delegations, aimed at preventing military friction between the two countries in Syrian territory. President Aliyev recently met separately with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syria's new ruler, Ahmad al-Sharaa (al-Julani), making Netanyahu's visit appear as a natural continuation of these diplomatic efforts.

President Aliyev has recently expressed support for both Türkiye and Israel amid the strained relations between the two countries: “Both countries are close friends of Azerbaijan. With Türkiye, we are allies. We signed the Shusha Declaration in 2021, and formally became allies. And Israel is a friendly country to Azerbaijan, and for many years, mutual friendship have been demonstrated in difficult times for both of us. Therefore, of course, for us, these tensions between two countries is very disturbing and a matter of concern. The first successful reconciliation between Türkiye and Israel was to a certain degree facilitated by Azerbaijan. So during the first crisis, we played active role in order to try to bring countries closer.”

In addition to the Turkish-Syrian issue, Netanyahu and Aliyev are expected to discuss the full spectrum of bilateral and regional relations. Israel and Azerbaijan maintain strategic ties, including the supply of oil and its derivatives to Israel.

By Khagan Isayev