Israel is one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan. In 1992, diplomatic relations were established between the two countries, and in February of 1993, Israel opened its embassy in Baku. Although the Azerbaijani government wants to return the favor, it does not have the courage to open an embassy or consulate in Israel, as it wants to avoid criticism from the Islamic world.
The increasing domination of Russia and Iran in the region -during the war in Syria and the events of the Arab Spring- caused distress to Israel. Hence, Tel Aviv authorities attempted to increase their power in the South Caucasus as a geopolitical response to this situation. Despite Azerbaijan’s attempts to convince the Islamic world that the strong relations Israel has with them are merely a reaction to the Iranian-Armenian alliance in the region, the presence of Tel Aviv in the South Caucasus region is closely related to Turkey. Therefore, Israel’s efforts in the region attracted the attention of Turkey, Russia and Iran, which are countries that have close historical relations with the South Caucasus.
Jews in Azerbaijan are an important element in the bilateral relations between the two countries. It is understood that Israel is in close contact with these Jews, who have civil society organizations, newspapers, schools and religious institutions in Azerbaijan and through these organizations and media publications, these people are responsible for spreading the awareness on the fact that Israel is an ally to Azerbaijan. The Jews of Azerbaijan make significant contributions to the development of the bilateral relations they have with Israel.
This study shows that the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Israel are based on the complex interdependence in the oil and the arms industry. Israel, which lacks access to oil and natural gas due to its relations with its neighbors in the Middle East, considers Azerbaijan a key resource for it in this matter. On the other hand, Azerbaijan also relies heavily on Israel when it comes to getting weapons because of the increasing international restrictions on the country due to the pressure of the Armenian lobby, and so Israel meets a large part of Azerbaijan’s need for arms, and has a very important position in supplying those arms. However, it is obvious that the appreciation that Azerbaijan has towards Israel, is not mutual.
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