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Azerbaijan and Israel began diplomatic relations in 1992 following Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union.[1] Azerbaijan is one of the majority Muslim countries, alongside Turkey, Egypt, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kosovo, Morocco, Albania, and the other former Soviet republics to develop bilateral, strategic and economic relations with Israel.
On October 18, 1991, the declaration of the Parliament of Azerbaijan restored the country's independence, and in November 1991 Turkey became the first state to formally recognize it.[2] On December 25, 1991, Israel formally recognized the independence of Azerbaijan,[3] becoming one of the first states to do so, and established diplomatic relations with the country on April 7, 1992. During the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Israel funded and provided weapons and artillery to Azerbaijan.[4]
Azerbaijan is home to some 30,000 Jews, residing primarily in Baku and the Qırmızı Qəsəbə settlement in the Quba district of Azerbaijan.[5] Mountain Jews have been living in Azerbaijan for close to 1,500 years; they are the descendants of Persian Jews. During the conquest by the Islamic Caliphate, Arabs settled an allied Jewish tribe in the neighborhoods of Baku; in 1730, Jews were officially allowed the right of residence and property ownership rights in Quba.[6] There are also nearly 5,000 Ashkenazi Jews living mostly in Baku. The first Jewish Sochnut school in the Soviet Union was opened in 1982 in Baku, then capital of Azerbaijan SSR.
According to a 2009 leaked U.S. diplomatic cable, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev once compared his country's relationship with Israel to an iceberg: "Nine-tenths of it is below the surface."[7]
In 2009, Israeli President Shimon Peres made a visit to Azerbaijan where military relations were expanded further, with the Israeli company Aeronautics Defense Systems Ltd announcing it would build a factory in Baku.[8]
Azerbaijan was visited by David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, in July 2010, shortly after the visit of Hillary Clinton to Baku. During the reception, Harris said Azerbaijan presented cultural, strategic and political importance.[9]
In 2010, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree banning the issue of visas in the country's international airports; foreigners henceforth had to apply for visas at the nearest Azerbaijani consulate. Israel and Turkey were the only two countries whose citizens were unaffected by the new law.[10]
In 2016, Israel's Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman supported the position of Azerbaijan in the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, calling it "absolutely justified".[11] Furthermore, Lieberman held Armenia responsible for provoking the conflict in April 2016.
A delegation of the World Jewish Congress visited Azerbaijan in September 2016; during the talks with the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev emphasis was put on "excellent" relations with Israel and the Jewish community.[12] [13]
In December 2016, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid an official visit to Baku. During the visit he emphasized that "Israel and Azerbaijan enjoy an excellent relationship and warm friendship".[14] During the visit Netanyahu visited the Alley of Martyrs and paid tribute to Azerbaijani heroes.[15] He also visited the Ohr Avner Chabad Day School, met with the local Jewish community and gave a speech before students.[16] [17] Press statements made by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also showed satisfaction with the bilateral cooperation of the two countries.[18] [19] Later that month, the Azerbaijan-Israel intergovernmental agreement on air communication was signed.[20]
In December 2016, Israeli journalist Alexander Lapshin was arrested in Belarus at the request of Azerbaijan due to his visit to Nagorno-Karabakh. Despite protests from Israel, the Council of Europe, the UN Human Rights Committee and human rights organizations, Lapshin was extradited to Azerbaijan. By decision of the Baku criminal court he was sentenced to 3 years in prison. Immediately after the trial, under unclear circumstances, the journalist was assaulted by fellow inmates in prison, as a result of which he was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Immediately after this incident, the President of Azerbaijan issued a decree pardoning the convicted Israeli. Later, by a decision of the European Court of Human Rights dated May 21, 2021, the Azerbaijani authorities were found guilty of illegal arrest, cruel torture and organizing an attempted murder against Lapshin.[21] [22] [23]
Azerbaijan was visited by John Shapiro, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, in January 2017, shortly after the visit of Benjamin Netanyahu to Baku. During the reception, Shapiro said that constructive partnership between Azerbaijan, United States, and Israel has a big significance.[24]
In 2017, an Azerbaijani laundromat money-laundering scheme organized by Azerbaijan was uncovered, revealing that, between 2012 and 2014, Azerbaijan created a slush fund of $2.9 billion used to bribe European and American politicians, journalists, lawmakers, and academics to lobby for Azerbaijani interests abroad. One of the primary agendas of the laundromat was to portray Azerbaijan as "a role model for multicultural tolerance". In particular, Israeli and Jewish organizations in the United States and Europe were used to present Azerbaijan as "a trusted Muslim partner of Israel and the Jewish people". German and French lobbyists bribed by the laundromat frequently sought to portray Azerbaijan as a friend of Israel. The Podesta Group, an American lobbying firm paid $60,000 per month by the Azerbaijani government, contacted pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC and JINSA on behalf of Azerbaijan.[25]
April 2017 marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Israel and Azerbaijan.[26] [27] A congratulatory letter to the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu included:[28] [29]
Israel is proud to have been one of the first nations to recognize the independent Republic of Azerbaijan. In the quarter-century since, our countries have built a solid relationship based on genuine friendship between the Jewish and Azerbaijani peoples. ... Azerbaijan is a model of inter-faith and multicultural harmony in an area fraught with religious and ethnic rivalries. Like you, Israel is a beacon of stability and tolerance in an unstable region. Despite the challenges we face, we have both succeeded in creating thriving economies and vibrant, prosperous and peace-seeking societies.Israeli–Azerbaijani ties strengthened since the very early 1990s. The strategic relationship included cooperation in trade and security matters, cultural and educational exchanges, etc. Relations entered a new phase in August 1997 during the visit of the then Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Baku. Since then Israel has been developing closer ties with Azerbaijan and has helped modernize the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. The Israeli military has been a major provider of battlefield aviation, artillery, anti-tank, and anti-infantry weaponry to Azerbaijan.[30] [31]
In March 2017, several regional tours were made by the Israeli envoy to Azerbaijan to deepen economic cooperation in the spheres of economy, agriculture, and tourism:[32] Azerbaijan and Israel abolished double taxation between the two countries in April 2017.[33]
During his speech at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly on September 19, 2017, Netanyahu mentioned the expansion of cooperation between the two countries.[34]
In January 2019, the State Border Service of Azerbaijan purchased SkyStriker kamikazes from Israel's Elbit Systems. Azerbaijan became the first foreign buyer of SkyStrikers.[35]
During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war with Armenia, Azerbaijan has deployed Israeli-made weapons on Armenian targets.[36] In March 2023 Azerbaijan opened its embassy in Israel.[37]
In February 2024, Azerbaijani President Aliyev met with Israeli President Herzog, reaffirming bilateral relations between Israel and Azerbaijan amid the ongoing Israel–Hamas war.[38] Azerbaijan is a major oil supplier to Israel and has resisted pressure to cut ties with Israel over the Gaza war.[39]
Following an October 2001 meeting with Israeli ambassador Eitan Naeh, Azerbaijan's then-president Heydar Aliyev declared that the two countries had identical positions in the fight against international terrorism.[40] Israeli intelligence helps collect human intelligence about what they view as extremist organizations in the region. One of the groups, Hizb ut-Tahrir, which seeks the annihilation of the state of Israel, threatens both Jerusalem and Baku. Hizb ut-Tahrir is suspected of having several hundred members in Azerbaijan, and several its members were arrested and prosecuted by Azerbaijani authorities.[41]
In 2008, a plot was foiled to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Baku, which is located in a high-rise building along with the Thai and Japanese embassies. Two Hezbollah militants went on trial for the attempt in May 2009.[42] Local police narrowly averted the potential disaster, which involved placing three or four car bombs around the high-rise complex to carry out the attack. Groups planned the bombing in retaliation for the 2008 assassination in Damascus, Syria of Hezbollah's second in command Imad Mughniyah, which the Lebanese group blamed on Israel. News reports suggested Iran was involved in the plan as well.[43]
Some analysts consider that both Israel and Azerbaijan see Iran as an existential threat. Azerbaijan fears Iranian Islamist influence, but Iran fears Azerbaijan, too, as up to 18 million Iranians are ethnic Azeris. On the other hand, Azerbaijan has close links with Turkey, and the post-2006 worsening of Israel–Turkey relations may have repercussions on Azerbaijan's relations with Israel.[44]
In February 2012, Iran rebuked Azerbaijan for allegedly aiding anti-Iranian activities by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.[45] A few weeks later Azerbaijan arrested 22 people in a suspected Iranian plot against Israeli and US targets in Azerbaijan.[46] In March 2012, the magazine Foreign Policy reported that the Israeli Air Force may be preparing to use Azerbaijan’s Sitalchay Military Airbase, located 500 km (340 miles) from the Iranian border, for air strikes against the nuclear program of Iran.
On March 29, 2012, officials stated that Israel was granted access to air bases in Azerbaijan through a "series of quiet political and military understandings." According to Haaretz, these airbases could potentially be used in a strike against Iran over its nuclear program and other tensions with Iran, and would be allowed by Azerbaijan.[47] Israeli and Azerbaijani officials denied these reports.[48] [49]
On September 30, 2012, it was reported that Azerbaijan and Israel jointly examined the use of Azerbaijani air bases and spy drones to help Israeli jets perform a long-range strike on Iran. This would help Israel concerning issues with refueling, reconnaissance, and rescuing crews, and could make an attack more feasible.[50] The plan involves using an Israeli tanker aircraft painted in the colors of a third country airline company that would land and refuel in Azerbaijan and then refuel the Israeli strike aircraft.[51]
In 2012, Israel and Azerbaijan signed an agreement according to which state-run Israel Aerospace Industries would sell $1.6 billion in drones and anti-aircraft and missile defense systems to Azerbaijan.[52]
Israel is an important exporter of arms to Azerbaijan. According to research of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Israel accounted for 27 percent of Azerbaijan's major arms imports from 2011 to 2020 and from 2016 to 2020, Israel accounted for 69 percent of Azerbaijan's major arms imports.[53] In 2023, the two countries signed a deal for Israel to supply Azerbaijan with two satellites for $120 million[54] as well as purchase the "Barak MX" missile interception system for $1.2 billion.[55]
Economic cooperation between Israel and Azerbaijan has been growing significantly. As Azerbaijan deregulated its industries and liberalized its economy in the early 1990s, Israeli companies penetrated Azerbaijani markets.[56] Many companies have invested in the service industry. One example is Bezeq, a major Israeli telecommunication provider. Through a trade contract bid in 1994, Bezeq bought a large share of the telephone operating system.[57] Today it installs phone lines and operates regional services throughout much of the country. Another company, Bakcell, was started as a joint venture between the Ministry of Communication of Azerbaijan and GTIB (Israel)[58] in early 1994 as the first cellular telephone operator in the country. Dozens of Israeli companies are active in the Azerbaijani energy sector. For instance, Modcon Systems Ltd., an Israel-based supplier of high technology to the oil and gas industries, opened a branch in Azerbaijan. In March 2021, Israeli defense company Meteor Aerospace teamed up with Caspian Ship Building Company (CSBC) of Azerbaijan to jointly offer advanced defense solutions to meet the Eurasian country's national needs.[59]
Between 2000 and 2005, Israel has risen from being Azerbaijan's tenth-largest trading partner to its fifth. According to U.N. statistics, between 1997 and 2004, exports from Azerbaijan to Israel increased from barely over US$2 million to $323 million, fueled in recent years by the high price of oil.[60] As of 2013, 40 percent of oil to Israel is exported from Baku, which makes Azerbaijan Israel's largest oil supplier.[61]
Azerbaijan and Israel abolished double taxation between countries in April 2017.[62] "Defense and energy sectors apart, the bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $260 million in 2016," said the Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan.[63] According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, the total trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Israel amounted to $116.2 million in January–February 2017, which is 17.5 percent more compared to the same period of 2016.[62]
In 2020 trade between Azerbaijan and Israel was approximately 200 million US dollars (besides oil supplies).[64]
On July 29, 2021, the Trade and Tourism Representative Office of Azerbaijan was founded in Tel Aviv.[65]
Azerbaijan and Israel cooperate closely in the field of energy: Israel buys 40 percent of its oil from Azerbaijan.[66] [67]
In a 2007 speech, the Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan, Arthur Lenk, spoke of continuous trade between Azerbaijan and Israel in the energy sector. He noted that until the inauguration of the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline in 2006, Israel was a key consumer of Azerbaijani oil exports and that the proximity of Ceyhan to Israel offers excellent new opportunities for greater Israeli participation in this sector of the economy, thus creating additional areas for collaboration and mutual benefit. He underlined that through the Trans-Israel pipeline between Ashkelon and Eilat, Israel could be a strategic partner for marketing Caspian oil to Asia. Israeli efforts in developing alternative energy resources, especially solar energy, were also mentioned. Israel additionally seeks possibilities of importing gas from the Caspian Sea region.[68]
In December 2016, during his visit to Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Today we are negotiating not only for the supply of Azerbaijani oil, but also imports of Azerbaijani gas to Israel".[18] [19] In 2021 it was estimated that Israel imported 65 percent of its oil from Azerbaijan.[69]