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Opening of Azerbaijani embassy in Israel will give further impetus to developing ties between our countries
- 18 April 2023
- 9:02 pm
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- 18 April 2023
- 9:02 pm
The Israeli and Azerbaijani flags at the Baku Summit of World Religious Leaders. (Photo: Akos Nagy)
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Israel is one of the most important strategic allies for Azerbaijan and it is a well-known fact that Israel maintains high-level ties with a number of major countries of the world, including the USA. Constantly developing a line of Baku-Jerusalem relationship is of specific importance for both countries. Naturally, the development of these ties between our countries is not accidental. National leader Mr. Heydar Aliyev has a unique role in shaping up and developing the Israeli-Azerbaijani relationships that evolved over a certain period of time.
Let us recall that President Mr. Ilham Aliyev declared 2023 the year of Heydar Aliyev and it has been 30 years since we laid the foundation of our diplomatic ties with Israel.
Israel recognized Azerbaijan’s independence on December 25 1991 and while the diplomatic ties between the two countries were established on April 6 1992, their development came after the meeting of Israeli and Azerbaijani heads of state.
On January 28, 1995, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev met and discussed matters of mutual interest with Shimon Peres, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs at the World Economic Forum held in Switzerland, Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli Prime Minister at the session of UN General Assembly on October 22 the same year, Shimon Peres, Israeli Prime-Minister at the funeral ceremony of France’s former president Francois Mitterrand on January 11, 1996, and Benyamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister at the Lisbon summit of OSCE heads of state on December 2, 1996.
On August 29, 1997, Benyamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime-minister paid a short visit to Azerbaijan and met President Heydar Aliyev, where Heydar Aliyev recalled his meeting and negotiations with Netanyahu held at OSCE Lisbon submission and expressed his satisfaction with his statement regarding his readiness to provide any assistance to Azerbaijan to address the concerns faced by country on behalf of the Israeli government. Touching upon the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh, President Heydar Aliyev stressed his support for addressing the conflict based on the guidelines put forward during the Lisbon summit. The decision was made to set up a working group to develop the cooperation between both countries.
As you may also be aware, Jews have lived in a safe condition in Azerbaijan for centuries and enjoyed equal rights as other Azerbaijanis. All conditions have been created for them to practice their religious rituals freely. The memorial day of holocaust victims is held and various Jewish holidays are marked in Azerbaijan every year.
Touching upon these matters during his meeting with Netanyahu and noting Azerbaijan as a peaceful and multinational country, Heydar Aliyev stated that Jews had lived in peace and friendship with Azerbaijani for over centuries: “Jew and Azerbaijanis have lived in peace and friendship for over centuries in Azerbaijan. Even today Jews are fully equitable citizens of Azerbaijan, which is a homeland for them. All these together create a favorable condition for our cooperation”.
Maintaining the political course of President Aliyev certainly attaches a special importance to Israeli-Azerbaijani relationships and because of it the ties between our countries have further developed. Relationships between Israel and Azerbaijan are on the level of strategic partnership. For instance, the meeting with the-then Israeli Deputy Prime-minister Shimon Peres in June 2006, at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on August 10 2008, and World Economic Forum held in Davos on January 30 2009 are examples of it.
Azerbaijan and Israel held a Business Forum for the first time in the history of our mutual relationships at Tel-Aviv in May 2009. The Israeli president paid an official visit to Azerbaijan together with 3 ministers and 50 businessmen for the first time on June 28-29 2009, where two treaties were signed in the presence of Azerbaijani and Israeli presidents during the visit by Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert came to visit our country on February 15, 2010.
President Ilham Aliyev held a series of meetings with Israeli representatives within the frame of the Davos Economic Forum held in Switzerland. Our head of state met Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu on January 22 2014, January 21 2016, and January 24 2018, and former Israeli President Shimon Peres on January 22 2015 respectively.
The visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu to Azerbaijan on December 13 2016 helped to further strengthen the mutual relationships between Azerbaijan and Israel. Various treaties were signed between our countries during the visit, which are very significant for furthering our relationships. On September 13-16 2017, a delegation led by Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman came to visit Azerbaijan.
The number of such examples is quite high. Israel and Azerbaijan are also developing their economic ties at present and Israel is one of the largest importers of Azerbaijani oil.
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Israel has always backed up Azerbaijan’s fair stance in the Karabakh matter. Israeli President Shimon Peres stated once again that Israel backs up the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan during his visit to our country in 2009.
We primarily witnessed Israel’s support during the 44 days of the Patriotic War, when our armed forces effectively applied the kamikaze drones and various weapons purchased from Israel during the war.
In its foreign policy, Azerbaijan recognizes building equitable ties based on mutual trust with various states as its priority issue and Israeli-Azerbaijani ties are based on such mutual trust. These ties have been raised to the highest level thanks to the policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev. There is also a mutual sense of sympathy between our countries and both countries respect each other’s culture, traditions, and national values.
In his congratulation letter addressed by President Aliyev on the occasion of Benyamin Netanyahu’s beginning his duties as Israeli Prime-minister on December 29 last year, the President stresses that we place a specific significance on Azerbaijani-Israeli relationships originating from the will of our people who have lived in the state of friendship and mutual understanding over the history. It is quite noteworthy that our interstate ties rest upon mutual trust and such strong pillars as support have always been on the rise and reached this level.
President Aliyev specifically underlined the contribution by Netanyahu to the evolution and development of relationships between our countries. A congratulatory letter stated that “a decision has been made to open Azerbaijani Embassy in Israel in November this year and I am hopeful the opening of our Embassy will contribute to further develop Azerbaijani-Israeli ties. I am confident deepening ties between our countries according to the interests of friendly people, our efforts towards further expanding our mutually beneficial cooperation will also be successfully maintained in future.”
Azerbaijan didn’t have an embassy in Israel for many years and the step taken by our head of state to open the embassy will give further impetus to the development of our interstate relationships in all directions.
The first lady of Azerbaijan, First vice-president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation also pays special attention to developing ties with Israel alongside other countries and it is not coincidental that the Israeli press sheds light upon the work of Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, with Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, on March 29, 2023 in Jerusalem. (Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO)
In the article on the Israeli prominent “Breaking Israel News” Internet portal in 2014, it is stated that Azerbaijan is a tolerant country, where representatives of various nations coexist in peace. The article further reads that, as a modern, democratic, and secular state, Azerbaijan suffers from the aggression of the neighboring country and it is a secular Muslim country guaranteeing freedom of faith and confession for its citizens. Mrs. Aliyeva with a modern outlook serves as an example for country women thanks to her activities and encourages them to be active in society. The article also notes there is good cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel in various fields.
The article posted in “The Time of Israel” publication in 2021 reads as follows: “A predominantly Muslim country, Azerbaijan presents, in and by itself, an unbelievable paradigm for its woman equality. This is a country which granted the right to vote for women in 1919 and this was even prior to the USA”. It is further noted that Azerbaijan has always been a colorful society where women leaders were very popular in the society and were directly involved in policy-making since the times of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.
Specific stress is placed in the article on the first vice-president and first lady as an example of women actively involved in the country’s political life: “The first vice-president and first lady Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva is the most prominent woman leader in present-day Azerbaijan. A physician by profession, Mehriban Aliyeva demonstrates a close attachment to Azerbaijan’s cultural diversity and religious tolerance, pays special attention to the education of young women, and leads the reforms directed towards promoting women’s role in the society with predominantly Muslim population.”
Further, Israeli and Azerbaijani experience demonstrates there is a necessity and benefits from potential women leaders from east to west for so long as the role of women leaders in the world increases. It is no coincidence that Mrs. Aliyeva was conferred the diploma of doctor of honor by the Israeli Medical Academy for her services in international medical science and her contribution to the development of ties in the healthcare area between Israel and Azerbaijan.
The policy pursued by the head of state shows that the ties between our countries will be developing also in the future, which is significant for the national interests of both countries and no force may damage our relationships with Israel.
It is the result of this policy pursued over many years that Iran’s threats and pressures on Azerbaijan didn’t yield any result. Azerbaijan opted to further develop its strategic ties and friendly ties with Israel by opening its embassy. Opening of our embassy in Israel will give further impetus to developing the ties between our countries and Azerbaijan won’t back out of its firm policy.
Ramin Ahmadov is the founder of Turkish Elderly Union, Head of Mission Media Group.
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Thank you for choosing TheJ.Ca as your source for Canadian Jewish News.
We do news differently!
Our positioning as a Zionist News Media platform sets us apart from the rest. While other Canadian Jewish media are advocating increasingly biased progressive political and social agendas, TheJ.Ca is providing more and more readers with a welcome alternative and an ideological home.
We revealed the incursion of anti-Israel progressive elements such as IfNotNow into our communities. We have exposed the distorted hateful agenda of the “progressive” left political radicals who brought Linda Sarsour to our cities, and we were first to report on many disturbing incidents of Nazi-based hate towards Jews across Canada.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your HELP!
Our ability to thrive and grow in 2020 and beyond depends on the generosity of committed readers and supporters like you.
Monthly support is a great way to help us sustain our operations. We greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to support Jewish Journalism.
We thank you for your ongoing support.
Happy reading!
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