Significance of Azerbaijan-Israel relations New historical breakthrough

Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Azerbaijani Embassy in Israel shared the news on its official account on X. According to the diplomatic mission, the two sides discussed bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel, as well as regional developments.

The Jerusalem Post described Hikmet Hajiyev’s meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu as a “turning point” in regional politics. Diplomatic sources familiar with the discussions noted that the high-level meeting, which took place just 48 hours after Netanyahu’s strategic dialogue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, highlights the growing momentum towards Azerbaijan’s potential inclusion in the Abraham Accords.

“Azerbaijan has been one of Israel’s most reliable partners in the Muslim world for three decades. Their strategic importance to regional security architecture cannot be overstated,” The Jerusalem Post quoted a senior Israeli official as saying.

On the day of the meeting, the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies published a special outlook report titled How to Effectively Engage Azerbaijan in Trump’s Regional Plans and in Israel’s Interests: Practical Recommendations. The report states that Israel and pro-Israel forces in the United States should actively advocate for Azerbaijan’s inclusion in US-Israeli regional development, investments, and technological partnerships. It also calls for the repeal of the 907th Amendment, arguing that this would allow the United States and Israel to fully capitalize on Azerbaijan’s advantages within the framework of the new Greater Middle East architecture.

"As the Trump administration seeks to reshape regional alliances, Azerbaijan's role in facilitating Israel's integration into the ‘Greater Middle East’ could prove crucial, particularly in expanding security and economic cooperation with other Muslim nations," The Jerusalem Post emphasizes.

This is far from the only positive commentary on Azerbaijani-Israeli relations. As the well-known Israeli journalist and historian Shimon Briman told Caliber.Az, the fates of both countries are similar: both Israel and Azerbaijan have had to survive and develop while facing hostility along nearly all their borders, overcoming significant challenges. He noted, in particular, that Azerbaijan secured justice not through international talking shops like the UN but by building a modern and powerful army.

"I am pleased that Israel has played a role in Azerbaijan’s victories, as our country has pursued strategic partnership with Baku for many years. In my view, Donald Trump’s second term will be four years of creating a new world order to replace the dying (or already dead?) UN system. This will be the creation of a League of the Strong—a community and partnership of successful states led by President Trump. Israel is already in this League of the Strong, and it is high time for Azerbaijan to join it," Briman stated.

He is absolutely right. Azerbaijan, which has long established itself as the leading state in the South Caucasus, has also proven to be a country capable of initiating and implementing mega-projects that benefit a vast number of nations worldwide. As an example, one can point to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. Both projects were brought to life despite the initial plans of the US and the EU, which insisted on involving Armenia.

Furthermore, the complete restoration of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as a result of the 44-day war and the one-day anti-terrorist operation in the Karabakh region has further elevated the country’s status on the global stage. We have always valued, continue to value, and will always appreciate the moral and diplomatic support that Israel has provided to Azerbaijan.

As is well known, Israel officially recognized Azerbaijan’s independence on December 25, 1991, making it one of the first countries in the world to do so. Azerbaijan and Israel have maintained diplomatic relations since 1992. It is also important to recall that as early as 1998, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a brief overnight visit to Baku, where he met with Azerbaijan’s President Heydar Aliyev. Eighteen years later, on December 13, 2016, during a working visit to Azerbaijan, the Israeli Prime Minister held talks in Baku with President Ilham Aliyev. This was truly a groundbreaking and historic visit. At the time, Israeli media emphasized that the visit of the Prime Minister of the Jewish state to an influential and powerful Muslim country—such as Azerbaijan—was proof of the potential for Israel to establish relations with Middle Eastern nations, particularly those moderate Muslim countries willing to engage in dialogue with the Jewish state.

It was highlighted that the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Israel serves as a kind of template—a classic model of mutually beneficial and respectful relations between Israel and other nations.

It is also crucial to acknowledge a historical pattern: relations between the two countries have gained significant momentum during Benjamin Netanyahu’s premiership. The recent meeting between Hikmet Hajiyev and Netanyahu stands as further confirmation of this trend. Overall, we are witnessing yet another example of the balanced, strategically calculated, and principled foreign policy doctrine of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. This doctrine has already led to historic victories for Azerbaijan and, as Briman rightly noted, may well secure the country a worthy place in the “League of the Strong” among the world’s most powerful states.