Israel-Azerbaijan relations
Encyclopedia
Azerbaijan
and Israel
established a strong friendship since 1992. Azerbaijan
is one of the few majority Muslim
countries besides Turkey
, Egypt
, Jordan
and the former Soviet Central Asia
n republics to develop bilateral strategic and economic relations with Israel.
in the country.
On October 18, 1991, the declaration of the Parliament of Azerbaijan restored its independence, and, in November 1991, Turkey became the first state to formally recognize it. On December 25, 1991, Israel formally recognized the independence of Azerbaijan, becoming one of the first states to do so, and established diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan on April 7, 1992.
Azerbaijan was visited by the executive director of American Jewish Committee
David Harris in July 2010, shortly after the visit of Hillary Clinton to Baku. During the reception, David Alan Harris said Azerbaijan presented cultural, strategic and political importance.
Azerbaijan is a home to some 12,000 Mountain Jews
, residing primarily in Baku
and Qırmızı Qəsəbə settlement in the Quba
district of Azerbaijan
. Mountain Jews have been living in Azerbaijan
close to 2,500 years; they consider themselves the descendants of those Jews exiled to Babylon
after the destruction of the first Temple in 586 B.C., remaining in what is modern day Iran
. In eighth century, during the conquest by the Islamic Caliphate, Arabs settled an allied Jewish tribe in neighborhoods of Baku
and in 1730, Jews were officially allowed to put down roots and own property in Quba
. There are also nearly 5000 Ashkenazi Jews
living mostly in Baku
. The first Jewish Sochnut school in the Soviet Union was opened in 1982 in Baku
, the capital of Azerbaijan SSR
.
, which ended with a Russian brokered ceasefire in May, 1994, 16% of Azerbaijani territory remains under Armenian control to this day. The war between the two new countries left 30,000 dead and 800,000 refugees. Throughout the conflict Israel supported the Azerbaijani side.
Israeli-Azerbaijani ties have been expanding since the very early 1990s. The strategic relationship included cooperation in trade and security matters, cultural and educational exchanges, etc. In March 2005, Israeli cultural festival was held in Azerbaijan. Relations entered a new phase in August 1997 during the visit of then the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu
to Baku. Since then Israel has been developing closer ties with Azerbaijan and have helped modernize the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. Israeli military is said to have been a major provider of battlefield aviation, artillery, antitank, and anti-infantry weaponry to Azerbaijan.
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 was going to build a factory in Baku
.
In 2010, when Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
issued a decree forbidding foreigners from obtaining visas in the country's international airports and obligating them to apply for visas in the nearest Azerbaijani consulate, Israel became one of the two countries whose citizens remained unaffected by the new law.
declared their positions in the fight against international terrorism to be identical. Israeli intelligence helps collect human intelligence about extremist Islamist organizations in the region. One of the radical Islamic groups Hizb ut-Tahrir
, which seeks the annihilation of Israel, threatens both Jerusalem and Baku. Hizb ut-Tahrir
is suspected of having several hundred members in Azerbaijan, several members of it were arrested and prosecuted by Azerbaijani authorities.
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 Hizbullah terrorists went on trial for the attempt in May 2009. 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 Hizbullah's second in command, Imad Mughniyah, which the Lebanese group blamed on Israel
. News reports suggested Iran
was involved in the plan as well.
, a major telephone subsidiary. Through a trade contract bid in 1994, Bezeq bought a large share of the telephone operating system. Today it installs phone lines and operates regional services throughout much of the country. Another company, Bakcell
, was started as a joint venture between Ministry of Communication of Azerbaijan and GTIB (Israel) in early 1994 as the first cellular telephone operator in the country.
As well, dozens of Israeli companies are present in Azerbaijani energy sector. For instance, Modcon Systems Ltd., an Israel-based supplier of high technology to the oil and gas industries, opened its branch in Azerbaijan.
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. One-sixth of Israel's oil supply comes from Azerbaijan.
The 14th Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition opened on 5 June 2007 in Baku. Delivering a speech during the exhibition, Ambassador of Israel to Azerbaijan since April, 2005, Arthur Lenk
, spoke of continuous trade between Azerbaijan and Israel in the energy sector. The Ambassador noted that until the inauguration of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline
in 2006, Israel was a key consumer of Azerbaijani oil exports. At the present, the proximity of Ceyhan to Israel, offers excellent new opportunities for greater participation of Israel in this sector of economy, thus creating additional areas for collaboration and mutual benefit. The Ambassador specifically underlined that through Ashkelon-Eilat pipeline, Israel can be a strategic partner for marketing Caspian oil to Asia. “Over the past year, discussions have begun examining the feasibility of a pipeline corridor – with the possibility of carrying oil, natural gas and water from Turkey to Israel. Such a plan, if carried out, would extend the position of Azerbaijani crude to the edge of the Indian Ocean” he said. Efforts of Israel in developing alternative energy resources, especially in regards to solar energy, were mentioned. Israel seeks possibilities of importing gas from the Caspian Sea
region..
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
established a strong friendship since 1992. Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
is one of the few majority Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
countries besides Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
and the former Soviet Central Asia
Soviet Central Asia
Soviet Central Asia refers to the section of Central Asia formerly controlled by the Soviet Union, as well as the time period of Soviet administration . In terms of area, it is nearly synonymous with Russian Turkestan, the name for the region during the Russian Empire...
n republics to develop bilateral strategic and economic relations with Israel.
Background
Azerbaijan has no anti-Semitic tradition; on the contrary, the country has prided itself on its excellent relations with Israel and the Jewish minorityAzerbaijani Jews
Azerbaijani Jews are Jews who live in Azerbaijan.-Distribution:...
in the country.
On October 18, 1991, the declaration of the Parliament of Azerbaijan restored its independence, and, in November 1991, Turkey became the first state to formally recognize it. On December 25, 1991, Israel formally recognized the independence of Azerbaijan, becoming one of the first states to do so, and established diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan on April 7, 1992.
Azerbaijan was visited by the executive director of American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
David Harris in July 2010, shortly after the visit of Hillary Clinton to Baku. During the reception, David Alan Harris said Azerbaijan presented cultural, strategic and political importance.
Azerbaijan is a home to some 12,000 Mountain Jews
Mountain Jews
Highland Jews, Mountain Jews or Kavkazi Jews also known as Juvuro or Juhuro, are Jews of the eastern Caucasus, mainly of Azerbaijan and Dagestan. They are also known as Caucasus Jews, Caucasian Jews, or less commonly East Caucasian Jews, because the majority of these Jews settled the eastern part...
, residing primarily in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
and Qırmızı Qəsəbə settlement in the Quba
Quba
Quba is a rayon in northeastern Azerbaijan. The capital is located on the Kudyal River at 41.37°N, 48.50°E....
district of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. Mountain Jews have been living in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
close to 2,500 years; they consider themselves the descendants of those Jews exiled to Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
after the destruction of the first Temple in 586 B.C., remaining in what is modern day Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. In eighth century, during the conquest by the Islamic Caliphate, Arabs settled an allied Jewish tribe in neighborhoods of Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
and in 1730, Jews were officially allowed to put down roots and own property in Quba
. There are also nearly 5000 Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
living mostly in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
. The first Jewish Sochnut school in the Soviet Union was opened in 1982 in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, the capital of Azerbaijan SSR
Azerbaijan SSR
The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Azerbaijan SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union....
.
Recent relations
As a result of Nagorno-Karabakh WarNagorno-Karabakh War
The Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the small enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan...
, which ended with a Russian brokered ceasefire in May, 1994, 16% of Azerbaijani territory remains under Armenian control to this day. The war between the two new countries left 30,000 dead and 800,000 refugees. Throughout the conflict Israel supported the Azerbaijani side.
Israeli-Azerbaijani ties have been expanding since the very early 1990s. The strategic relationship included cooperation in trade and security matters, cultural and educational exchanges, etc. In March 2005, Israeli cultural festival was held in Azerbaijan. Relations entered a new phase in August 1997 during the visit of then the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
to Baku. Since then Israel has been developing closer ties with Azerbaijan and have helped modernize the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. Israeli military is said to have been a major provider of battlefield aviation, artillery, antitank, and anti-infantry weaponry to Azerbaijan.
In 2009, Israeli President Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
made a visit to Azerbaijan where military relations were expanded further, with the Israeli company Aeronautics Defense Systems Ltd
Aeronautics Defense Systems Ltd
Aeronautics Defense Systems Ltd. operates from its headquarters in Yavne, Center District, Israel, specializing in providing comprehensive defence solutions.-UAV:*Dominator UAV*Aerostar UAV*Aerolight UAV...
announcing it was going to build a factory in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
.
In 2010, when Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev is the President of Azerbaijan since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee...
issued a decree forbidding foreigners from obtaining visas in the country's international airports and obligating them to apply for visas in the nearest Azerbaijani consulate, Israel became one of the two countries whose citizens remained unaffected by the new law.
Security relations
Following an October 2001 meeting with Israeli ambassador Eitan Naeh, Azerbaijan's former president Heydar AliyevHeydar Aliyev
Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev , also spelled as Heidar Aliev, Geidar Aliev, Haydar Aliyev, Geydar Aliyev was the third President of Azerbaijan for the New Azerbaijan Party from June 1993 to October 2003, when his son Ilham Aliyev succeeded him.From 1969 till 1982, Aliyev was also the leader of Soviet...
declared their positions in the fight against international terrorism to be identical. Israeli intelligence helps collect human intelligence about extremist Islamist organizations in the region. One of the radical Islamic groups Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
, which seeks the annihilation of Israel, threatens both Jerusalem and Baku. Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
is suspected of having several hundred members in Azerbaijan, several members of it were arrested and prosecuted by Azerbaijani authorities.
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 Hizbullah terrorists went on trial for the attempt in May 2009. 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 Hizbullah's second in command, Imad Mughniyah, which the Lebanese group blamed on Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. News reports suggested Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
was involved in the plan as well.
Trade relations
Economic cooperation between Israel and Azerbaijan has been growing significantly. As Azerbaijan deregulated its industries and liberalized economy in early 1990s, Israeli companies penetrated Azerbaijani markets. Many companies have invested in service industry. One example is BezeqBezeq
Bezeq, the Israeli company for communications, is a telecommunications provider in Israel.Until the mid-first decade of the 21st century when it was owned by the Israeli government, Bezeq had a monopoly on landline telephony and Internet access infrastructure...
, a major telephone subsidiary. Through a trade contract bid in 1994, Bezeq bought a large share of the telephone operating system. Today it installs phone lines and operates regional services throughout much of the country. Another company, Bakcell
Bakcell
Bakcell — is a cellular communication operator of GSM standard in Azerbaijan. It is the first and largest cellular operator in the country.- About Company :...
, was started as a joint venture between Ministry of Communication of Azerbaijan and GTIB (Israel) in early 1994 as the first cellular telephone operator in the country.
As well, dozens of Israeli companies are present in Azerbaijani energy sector. For instance, Modcon Systems Ltd., an Israel-based supplier of high technology to the oil and gas industries, opened its branch in Azerbaijan.
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. One-sixth of Israel's oil supply comes from Azerbaijan.
Growing interest in energy security
On June 5, 2007, the 14th Caspian Oil & Gas exhibition was opened in Baku, Azerbaijan.The 14th Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition opened on 5 June 2007 in Baku. Delivering a speech during the exhibition, Ambassador of Israel to Azerbaijan since April, 2005, Arthur Lenk
Arthur Lenk
Arthur Lenk , served as the fourth ambassador of the State of Israel to the Republic of Azerbaijan from August 2005 - July 2009. He is currently Director of the Department of International Law in the Office of the Legal Adviser of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs-Biography:Arthur Lenk attended...
, spoke of continuous trade between Azerbaijan and Israel in the energy sector. The Ambassador noted that until the inauguration of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline
The Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline is a long crude oil pipeline from the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oil field in the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. It connects Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan; Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia; and Ceyhan, a port on the south-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey,...
in 2006, Israel was a key consumer of Azerbaijani oil exports. At the present, the proximity of Ceyhan to Israel, offers excellent new opportunities for greater participation of Israel in this sector of economy, thus creating additional areas for collaboration and mutual benefit. The Ambassador specifically underlined that through Ashkelon-Eilat pipeline, Israel can be a strategic partner for marketing Caspian oil to Asia. “Over the past year, discussions have begun examining the feasibility of a pipeline corridor – with the possibility of carrying oil, natural gas and water from Turkey to Israel. Such a plan, if carried out, would extend the position of Azerbaijani crude to the edge of the Indian Ocean” he said. Efforts of Israel in developing alternative energy resources, especially in regards to solar energy, were mentioned. Israel seeks possibilities of importing gas from the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
region..
Notable people of Jewish origin from Azerbaijan
- Yuli GusmanYuli GusmanYuli Solomonovich Gusman is a Soviet, Russian and Azerbaijani film director and actor. He is the founder and CEO of the prestigious Nika Award.- Life and career :...
- Russian TV host and journalist - Gavriil Abramovich Ilizarov - orthpedician
- Telman IsmailovTelman IsmailovTelman Ismailov is a Russian entrepreneur and businessman of Azerbaijani Mountain Jew descent. He is chairman of the Russian AST Group of companies, which is active in many countries.-Early life:...
- Russian enterpreneur - Garry KasparovGarry KasparovGarry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
- Russian chess grandmaster and world champion - Lev LandauLev LandauLev Davidovich Landau was a prominent Soviet physicist who made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics...
- physicist, Nobel Prize winner - Lev NussimbaumLev NussimbaumLev Nussimbaum was a writer and journalist, a Jew, born in Kiev, who spent his childhood in Baku before fleeing the Bolsheviks in 1920 at the age of 14...
- writer - Teimur Radjabov - chess grandmaster
See also
- International recognition of IsraelInternational recognition of IsraelThe recognition of Israel in the international community remains an outstanding issue of the Arab–Israeli conflict. Pursuant to the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, which provided for the establishment of a Jewish state, Israel declared its independence at midnight on 14 May 1948...
- Qırmızı Qəsəbə
- Jews of AzerbaijanJews of AzerbaijanJews of Azerbaijan is a new Jewish cultural organization which was registered at Azerbaijan State Committee for Religious Affairs on May 17, 2002...
- Azerbaijani JewsAzerbaijani JewsAzerbaijani Jews are Jews who live in Azerbaijan.-Distribution:...
External links
- "The Azeri Exception," Jewish Ideas Daily, by Aryeh Tepper http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/content/module/2010/10/29/main-feature/1/the-azeri-exception