The consistently developing relations between Azerbaijan and Israel in the political, economic and military spheres are of particular importance against the backdrop of new geopolitical realities that have emerged in the Middle East-South Caucasus in recent years. The two countries base their mutual relations on the principles of a pragmatic approach, respect for sovereignty and reconciliation of national interests. Efforts are being made to deepen cooperation not only within the bilateral framework, but also in broader regional and global contexts.

The intensity of the political dialogue between the two countries indicates that relations have taken on an institutional character. The visit to Baku of the delegation led by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar is of particular importance in this regard. The successful development of relations between the two countries in various directions, including economic and trade, energy, tourism and other areas, was emphasized during the meeting. Issues of cooperation in the fields of agriculture, water resources management, high technologies, artificial intelligence were also noted, and the contribution of mutual visits and contacts at various levels to the deepening of cooperation was touched upon. On the other hand, it was noted that the Azerbaijan-Israel business forum held within the framework of the visit will give impetus to the development of economic and trade relations between the countries.

The Israeli Foreign Minister finally expressed his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the state-level care shown to the Jewish community in Azerbaijan.

The recent intensification of high-level meetings between the two countries suggests that relations are gradually deepening. The meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Israel, Ilham Aliyev and Isaac Herzog, held last week within the framework of the Davos Economic Forum, can be considered an important political message in terms of harmonizing bilateral relations with the global agenda. Discussions at a global platform such as Davos have shown that Baku and Tel Aviv view relations not only from the perspective of regional interests, but also in the context of international energy security, technological transformation and geopolitical stability.

These meetings are also an indicator of Azerbaijan’s growing international prestige and the special importance that Israel attaches to Baku in its South Caucasus policy. The dialogue in Davos once again confirmed that the parties demonstrate a similar pragmatic approach to global economic and political challenges.

The main distinguishing feature of Baku-Tel Aviv relations is that these relations are based on concrete interests, real security challenges and mutual benefit. Areas such as energy security, strengthening defense capabilities, technological modernization and economic diversification overlap on the strategic agendas of the two countries. Suffice it to say that today Azerbaijan cooperates with 124 Israeli companies.

One of the sensitive, but also strategic areas of Azerbaijani-Israeli relations is military-technical cooperation. The cooperation, which was established in the 1990s, has developed today, encompassing billion-dollar arms contracts, energy dependence, and joint high-tech projects. In 2016–2021, 69 percent of Azerbaijan's arms imports fell to Israel. In particular, during the Second Karabakh War in 2020, Israeli-made kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles and reconnaissance drones used by Azerbaijan played a decisive role in the course of combat operations. Currently, cooperation is developing mainly in the areas of air defense and electronic warfare, unmanned aerial vehicles, satellite reconnaissance, and joint production.

Cooperation between the two countries is also expanding in the field of artificial intelligence, and this is no longer limited to the security agenda. Israel's startup ecosystem and leading experience in digital innovation are in line with Azerbaijan's strategy for building a digital economy and technological development. The meeting held on January 8 of this year at the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Israel to Azerbaijan, Ronen Krausz, indicates the deepening of cooperation between the two countries in this area.

The meeting discussed the work done on the issues agreed upon at the last meeting of the Joint Commission, the activities of the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center, established jointly with the Israeli Technion Institute, as well as the role of the “Vistar” Center of Excellence, established in cooperation with the Innovation and Digital Development Agency, Azercosmos and IAI. The parties assessed the prospects for expanding cooperation in priority areas such as urban mobility, digitalization of transport, artificial intelligence, development of the startup ecosystem, cybersecurity and the formation of human capital with digital skills. This means that the Azerbaijan-Israeli partnership is developing quite rapidly in the technology and innovation-based, long-term economic and institutional levels.

In general, Azerbaijani-Israeli relations have moved away from the classical model of diplomatic cooperation and entered the stage of strategic partnership. The strength of these relations stems from the rational and interest-based approach of the parties to each other, not ideological. It is this pragmatism that ensures the continuity and sustainability of relations despite regional upheavals. In the current geopolitical conditions, Azerbaijani-Israeli cooperation acts as an important factor contributing to both regional stability and the global energy and security architecture. From this point of view, the developing relations between the two countries can be considered one of the important pillars not only of today, but also of the long-term strategic future.

Rasim MUSABYOV,
Deputy of the Milli Majlis,
Member of the Working Group on Azerbaijan-Israel Interparliamentary Relations, Political Scientist

The meeting of the Azerbaijan-Israel Interparliamentary Working Group, of which I am also a member, with Gideon Saar and other persons at the Milli Majlis was quite productive. The Israeli Foreign Minister and the delegation highly appreciated the Azerbaijani-Israeli relations, and this position coincides with the approach of Azerbaijan.

We have extremely successful and mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of energy, military industry, water resources management, agriculture, cybersecurity and healthcare, and I believe that this cooperation will be maintained in the future.

At the same time, I would like to note that the Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR is participating in the exploitation of Israel's energy resources and it is planned to expand this participation. This, I think, will open up new opportunities for increasing mutual investments between the two countries.

Our interparliamentary relations are at a high level. Almost several times a year, our delegation visits Israel, the Knesset. At the same time, representatives from the Knesset visit the Milli Majlis, we hold meetings. Our relations continue both within the framework of these visits and in an online format.

There is also close cooperation through embassies, and one of the most active structures among the friendship groups is the Azerbaijan-Israel, Milli Majlis-Knesset working group. Personally, I have been to Israel three or four times in this regard, and I have held meetings with our colleagues in the Knesset. I would like to note that although there is a rather tough struggle between parliamentary groups and political parties in Israel, almost all parties take the same position on the issue of relations with Azerbaijan. Representatives of all political parties are represented in the Azerbaijan-Israel friendship group, and they are in favor of preserving and developing these relations.

That is why I believe that the visit of Mr. Saar and the representatives of big business and business circles accompanying him to Azerbaijan was useful. In my opinion, the prospects for expanding bilateral relations will be beneficial for both sides.

Merchant SADIGOV
XQ