Azerbaijan - Israel relations

Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Azerbaijan comes amid Baku-Tehran tensions; Foreign Minister Eli Cohen will visit Central Europe.

On May 28, Azerbaijan will celebrate its own Independence Day marking the founding of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) as the first secular democratic state in the Muslim world.

The close ties between Azerbaijan and Israel are first of all connected with the presence of Jewish communities that settled in Azerbaijan along the years.

The trip to Azerbaijan had a large delegation and highlighted business and trade ties. Israel already has trade relations with Azerbaijan, but these are expected to increase.

Israel’s flourishing ties with a slew of Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries demonstrate that these relationships are underpinned by far more than shared threats.

Azerbaijan is a strategic partner for Israel and the trip to Baku comes in the wake of Azerbaijan opening an embassy in Israel in March.

Iran has strongly criticized Azerbaijan for moving closer to Israel, with its foreign ministry saying it sees the relationship between Azerbaijan and Israel as "anti-Iranian." 

Iran has slammed Azerbaijan for ties with Israel but has also been concerned because of Azerbaijan-Armenia tensions. Iran tends to support Armenia and does not want to see a conflict on its border.

Mammadov, along with the ambassadors of Guatemala, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Suriname and Malawi, had originally been scheduled to present his credentials on March 9.

Azerbaijani Ambassador-Designate to Israel Mukhtar Mammadov denied a report by Haaretz that the country has prepared an airfield to assist Israel.