President Isaac Herzog met Tuesday with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Baku, further strengthening Israel's partnership with the secular Shi'ite Muslim country that borders Iran.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

The visit comes amid growing strategic and defense ties between the two nations, epitomized by the inauguration of the Azerbaijan embassy in Israel this spring as well as concomitant violence directed at both countries by Iran.

"It is no secret that your country is a Muslim country with a predominantly Shi'ite majority and yet the level of love and affection that exists between our two nations is simply an example of how we can change the world and move forward," the Israeli leader told Aliyev.

Herzog called his visit "a dream come true" for himself and the people of Israel.

"Your visit demonstrates the close partnership [in the] relations of our countries and I am sure your visit will strengthen our bilateral ties," Aliyev said in remarks in English. "The opening of our embassy this year will elevate relations and create more opportunities for closer interactions."

He cited the centuries of good relations between Azerbaijan and the Jewish people that predate both the modern State of Israel and the former Soviet Republic.

"As an independent country, we are 31 years old, but we have centuries of history of interaction, friendship and mutual support," Aliyev said.

"We have such a broad agenda, I could speak for hours," the Azerbaijani president concluded his welcoming remarks. Minutes later, Herzog invited him to visit Israel.

The security ties between the nations and Azerbaijan's location next door to the Islamic Republic were front and center in the talks between the two leaders.

"We need to remember that beyond trade and historic ties, including with the Jewish community, that Azerbaijan is Iran's neighbor," Herzog said before departing Israel for the 24-hour visit. "Iran is a destabilizing influence in the region that is working continuously to act against Israel and against the developing alliance of peace and security in the region, and I will certainly discuss this."

Herzog and his wife, Michal, were greeted upon arrival at the airport in Baku by Azerbaijan's deputy prime minister, deputy foreign minister, and the ambassadors of both countries.

They were joined by 30 Jewish children from the Or Avner Chabad school in Baku.

Herzog laid a wreath at the graveside of Azerbaijan's late president Heydar Aliyev, who presided over the inauguration of ties three decades ago, as well as at the national memorial for the fallen in Azerbaijan's wars.

Herzog is also scheduled to participate in a ceremony with the Jewish community celebrating the 75th anniversary of Israel's independence before returning home on Wednesday.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

He is the second Israeli president to visit Azerbaijan after Shimon Peres's trip nearly a decade and a half ago. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited Baku last month.

Israel has had an embassy in Baku since 1993, a year after relations were established between the two nations. Indeed, Israel was one of the first countries in the world to recognize Azerbaijan's independence in 1991 after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

For Israel, ties with oil-rich Azerbaijan are of great importance, both as a conduit for reconnaissance and because it supplies an estimated 40% of the Jewish state's oil needs and is a leading purchaser of Israeli military hardware.

  Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

The post Herzog in Baku to further strategic partnership appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Like other oil-producing states, Azerbaijan is looking to diversify its economy.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

While economic ties between Baku and Jerusalem are strong, the coronavirus has led to a decrease in bilateral trade following a $1.4 billion high in 2019.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov are set to discuss kick-starting bilateral trade in a meeting of the Israel-Azerbaijan intergovernmental committee to be held next week.

In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom from his bureau office in Baku, Jabbarov said, "Israel remains Azerbaijan's third-largest export destination. It's no secret that the oil and gas fields are taking a central place in bilateral trade, but I want it to expand even more."

Q: In what fields are you interested in expanding trade?

"Tourism, agriculture, and agrotech in particular. I would also like for us to cooperate in the fields of cyberdefense, education, water resources, and health."

According to Jabbarov, officials in Baku have decided to establish an Azerbaijani tourism bureau in Israel.

"We're interested in renewing the activity of the forum for bilateral economic cooperation that was established in 2019 and quickly had a positive impact. The opening of a tourism bureau in Israel would send an important message. Likewise, in the field of technology, we're interested in further improving ties with Israel."

Q: How do you intend to expand trade?

"We can often give businesses a push, but that's harder to do without removing red tape. In the private sector, ties are quickly growing stronger. Likewise, we even hope to open a trade bureau in Israel next year."

Q: How often are you in touch with Israeli government ministries?

"We hold frequent talks on the professional level, and we have very good ties. Our collaboration with the Israeli Embassy in Baku is excellent. We also maintain ties with various ministries in Israel."

Q: How do you explain Azerbaijan's special bond with the Jewish community?

"We have lived together for hundreds of years, and Azerbaijan's values are built on respect for every religion and every ethnic group. The secret is simple: We believe every ethnic group living in Azerbaijan is part of our society. This is a relationship that is based on a history in which we lived together, a culture of not harming one another, respecting one another, having fun together, and dealing with crises, celebrating religious holidays, fighting side by side, without exception.

"Azerbaijan is a relatively young country, but we have a long history. [Azerbaijani] President Ilham Aliyev really looks out for the Jewish community, just as he looks out for all the minority groups in the country."

Azerbaijan is set to mark 30 years to its independence and 30 years to its Israel ties next year.

"My job is to always aspire to improve ties, and that is what I will do in this special year. We will do everything to open an Azerbaijani trade bureau in Israel and further deepen ties," Jabbarov said.

Jabbaraov, who noted he has visited Israel a few times, both on personal trips and within his role as a government minister, said, "I think Israel has exceptional qualities. There is a great deal of respect for studies, research, and hard work. There is critical thinking. These are qualities that transform Israel from a young state to one with a quality economy, with a high gross domestic product, and extensive higher education."

The Azerbaijani government has also been impressed with Israel's unprecedented vaccination campaign, which has earned global accolades.

"We're fairly confident Israel's successful campaign can be replicated in Azerbaijan," Jabbarov said.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Azerbaijan planning to expand bilateral trade with Israel appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Israel and Azerbaijan celebrated 29 years to the establishment of bilateral ties, Wednesday.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Senior officials from both countries, including Azeri politicians and Israel's Deputy Ambassador to Azerbaijan Doron Pe'er, took part in the event.

Marking the occasion, Farid Shafiyev, the chairman of Azerbaijan's Center of Analysis of International Relations, said, "The Azeri people and the Jewish people have a long history together."

According to Shafiyev, "Jews have lived in Azerbaijan for 2,500 years. The historic ties between the peoples are deep."

He said this shared history was the basis for bilateral ties.

"There are Israelis that are influenced by the Armenian lobby, who think the basis for Israel-Azerbaijan ties is oil and weapons," he said. "Factually speaking, they are wrong; the basis for the ties is historic. There's also no doubt the economic ties are significant."

He said, "Historians attack the image of the Israelis and the Azerbaijanis. This is antisemitism and anti-Azerbaijanism. Nevertheless, that is also what unites us. We are united, and we need to upgrade our ties. The time has come to open an Azerbaijan Embassy in Israel."

Anatoliy Rafailov, the head of the Azerbaijan-Israel lobby in the National Assembly in Baku, and fellow lobby member Shahin Seyidzade, both members of Azerbaijan's parliament, also took part in the virtual event.

"I represent the Jewish community in the Azeri parliament. It's known that Azerbaijan has no antisemitism problem, and that relations between the countries are particularly strong. Israel has also supported Azerbaijan's territorial continuity.

"A very important point is Holocaust memory in Azerbaijan, and on the other hand events marking the Khojaly massacre [of over 200 Azerbaijanis by Armenian forces in the First Nagorno-Karabach War] in Israel," Rafailov said.

Seyidzade said, "Israel has always welcomed cooperation with Azerbaijan. I have been to Israel many times, and we took care to promote various initiatives in the fields of education and innovation. As a member of the science and education committee, we collaborated many times."

Israel's deputy ambassador said, "We mark our entry into the 30^th year of ties between Israel and Azerbaijan. These ties are much more than friendly; they are strategic, deep, and above all, the ties are not just between the states but between the nations. Our nations share a wonderful history, religious, cultural, musical, and particularly moral ties. Both countries should continue to promote initiatives based on both countries' shared values."

According to Aryeh Gut, an expert on Israel-Azerbaijan ties and the executive director of the Azerbaijan House in Israel, "Azerbaijan is Israel's strategic partner in the South Caucasus. Within the framework of the strategic alliance, Azerbaijan receives all of the technological advantages from Israel, the likes of which no other post-Soviet country gets to receive."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Head of Azerbaijani think tank calls to open embassy in Israel appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Israeli companies have offered the Azerbaijani government in Baku assistance in rehabilitating the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Turkey Ibrahim Khazar told the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Among those to offer Baku assistance were Turkey, Iran, Great Britain, Italy, Hungary, and Japan. "The rehabilitation of liberated territories will be carried out while ensuring the preservation of the region's historical and authentic heritage alongside technological innovations," the envoy said.

According to Khazar, the Nakhchivan Corridor, the product of one of the ceasefire clauses in the Second Karabakh War, has created new opportunities for regional cooperation, chief among them the export trains that have already begun to pass through Azerbaijan on their way from Istanbul to Central Asia and even China in recent weeks.

Nevertheless, the war has done a lot of damage, in particular to Azerbaijan's economy. According to Khazar, "The extent of the material damage from Armenia's attacks stands at over $50 million." He noted that "after the liberation, the images of our historic lands were those of devastation."

According to Azerbaijani assessments, since the end of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the Armenians destroyed 700 historic and cultural sites, 700 libraries, 85 arts and music institutes, 22 museums housing over 100,000 items, four art galleries, four theaters, and two concert halls across the Caucus territory.

Khazar further accused Armenia of having perpetrated war crimes.

"The Armenian military, which found itself helpless in the face of our military, did not hesitate to shoot at civilians in cities that weren't even in the war zone," he claimed. "As a result, 100 of our citizens were killed, 416 were wounded, and major damage was caused to civilian infrastructure."

According to Aryeh Gut, an expert on Israel-Azerbaijan ties and the executive director of the Azerbaijan House in Israel, Baku and Jerusalem have bolstered ties thanks to close cooperation in the fields of agriculture, medicine, and defense, among others.

Gut told Israel Hayom that "Israel was one of the first countries to recognize an independent Azerbaijan. No country in Eurasia has been a closer friend to Israel than Azerbaijan."

He noted that "Israel is one of the strategic buyers of Azerbaijani oil. Following the liberation of the occupied territories, in which Israel played a central role, Israeli figures are very interested in investing in those territories in Nagorno-Karabakh, alongside the Israeli medical assistance already provided by Israel to casualties of the war."

Micky Aharonson, an expert on international relations at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, explained that "the totality of interests that make it important for Israel to maintain ties with Azerbaijan have not changed."

"This is a Muslim country that borders Iran," she said. "For years, Israel has maintained good ties with them, including economic ties. There isn't necessarily a connection between the private firms involved in rehabilitation and strategic ties between the countries."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Israel offers to help Azerbaijan rebuild Nagorno-Karabakh appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.