This week, Fuad Muradov, Azerbaijan's chairman of the State Committee on the Work with the Diaspora, is in Israel, meeting prominent political figures as well as important members of the Azerbaijani Diaspora. His visit comes on a week that was poised to culminate with Israel having a new rotating prime minister and the Knesset dissolved ahead of an early march to the polls.
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The visit of Muradov to Israel, who holds the ranks of a minister in the Azerbaijani government and runs a government agency equivalent to Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, is a major testament to the strength of the Azerbaijani-Israeli relationship. It means that no matter who will be our prime minister, the Israeli-Azerbaijani relationship is of strategic value to the State of Israel across the political spectrum.
In an exclusive interview, Rabbi Shmuel Simantov, an Azerbaijani Jewish rabbi who lives in Israel and was recently presented with a medal, stated: "He came to honor 30 years of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Israel. He has been here a lot. He has been here at least seven times."
Rabbi Simantov believes that no matter who will be prime minister, the relationship between Azerbaijan and Israel will remain strong.
According to him, "The Azerbaijani community is very influential here and Israel has to do what the community here wants. The Azerbaijani Jewish community never suffered from antisemitism and has a great connection with Azerbaijan." In fact, during Muradov's visit, he came to see Rabbi Simantov's synagogue. The respectable rabbi added, "Lieberman also has great respect for Azerbaijan. He loves Azerbaijan a-lot."
Camilia Ioffe, the Azerbaijani Israeli opera singer who performed at an event he attended, added: "It is very important for us that Azerbaijan and Israel are close to each other and care about each other. It is important that they pay attention to what we are doing here, whether politics, music, or sport. There are many other Azerbaijanis in Israel who feel that this is important. The Azerbaijanis here have a connection with the country."
According to her, "I think it is important for Israel that he came here. Slowly, people are getting to know about Azerbaijan. We have many tourists going there. After the visit, I think things will get even stronger between Israel and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a Muslim country. It is good that there is a good example that we can be good with everyone. Azerbaijan is a multicultural pluralistic country and multi-culturalism is the key to peace."
In conclusion, Ioffe proclaimed, "When we get to know one another's cultures, it is good. They also care about everyone. Fuad Muradov visits all of the countries, with all of the NGOs and listens to everyone. It is important to the people in Azerbaijan. He cares about everyone here, regardless of who they are."
Muradov's visit comes one week after former Israeli Communication Minister Ayoob Kara visited Azerbaijan and met Chairman Muradov together with 22 foreign experts at a conference at the prestigious Ada University in Azerbaijan. At this conference, which occurred after he visited the landmine-infested ghost city of Agdam in the Karabakh region, Kara offered Israeli robots as a solution to Azerbaijan's landmine problem. According to the Azerbaijani government, they are already using such robots from a number of countries including Israel in order to clear the area of landmines.
Thus, Mr. Kara's visit together with Muradov's visit to Israel signifies the strong relationship between both countries and the great potential for improved relations between Israel and Azerbaijan. In recent days, Azerbaijan has opened a Tourism Office and a Trade Office in the State of Israel. Perhaps one day, Azerbaijan will also have a functioning embassy in Israel as well.
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