Israel’s Ambassador of Armenian-Origin Calls Azerbaijan “One of Israel’s Most Trusted Partners”

“The Russia-Ukraine War led to an increased connection to the West via Azerbaijan, since the corridors and pipelines from and to Russia were sanctioned and blocked. Many things have happened at the same time, and it has been a historic transition period for Azerbaijan, and specifically in ties with Israel that have become more solidified, strategic, deeper, and more visible at the same time,” Deek says.

Azerbaijan has a population of 10 million, similar to Israel. It is more than three times the size of Israel and sits on the Caspian Sea. To its south is Iran, and to its west are Turkey and Armenia. To its north are Russia and Georgia. Across the Caspian Sea are Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

Beyond them are Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Azerbaijan doesn’t border Iraq or Syria, but is around 350 km. from Iraq and 600 km. from Syria.

The country also includes an exclave – that is, an area of the country that is not contiguous to it. This area, called Nakhchivan, borders Turkey and has a population of around 460,000.

“Azerbaijan is the only country in the world that has a border with both Russia and Iran,” says the ambassador. He notes that it also borders Turkey, a member of NATO.

History, influences

Azerbaijan’s population is primarily Turkic by ethnicity, and the people are Shi’ite by religion. This means they share commonalities with Iran and Turkey – ethnicity and language ties with Turkey, and religious ties with Iran.

Also, there are many Azeris in Iran who live there as a minority. Historically, Azerbaijan was ruled by the Russian Empire for many years, and then was a part of the USSR.

“Russia had a huge influence on culture, lifestyle, and secularism here,” Deek notes. During a brief period of independence between the Russian imperial era and the Soviet era, the country had a republic from 1918 to 1920.

Deek notes that Azerbaijan sees itself as linked closely to the West. He also notes that it was the first Muslim country to give women the right to vote and to become the first real democracy in the Muslim world.

“That is the ethos they have in the modern Azerbaijan, founded more than 30 years ago. It is linked to the Turkic countries in Central Asia, and then Azerbaijan and Turkey; those are the six Turkic countries. They have cultural ties with Russia and religious ties with Iran.

“Also, the cultural ties linking them to the West. They participate in Eurovision and play soccer with Europe. They even sent a Jewish singer to Eurovision this year.” Yuval Raphael, the Israeli participant in Eurovision who came in second, has Azerbaijani roots.

Complex neighborhood

Deek says that it’s common for Israelis to see themselves as living in a tough neighborhood. Israel has a long history of conflict with its neighbors and suffering through the geopolitics of the Cold War. However, he says that when one compares Baku’s powerful neighbors, such as Russia, Iran, and Turkey, to Israel’s, Baku is also located in a complex neighborhood.

Turkey is a friend of Baku; however, Tehran and Moscow can pose complex challenges. In addition, Russia, Turkey, and Iran all see Baku as part of their sphere of influence. It was once under the Persian and Russian Empires, for instance. Turkey is its larger neighbor with ethnic and linguistic ties. Turks sometimes say that the two are “one nation, two states.”

Baku has navigated this complex neighborhood. Unlike Armenia and Georgia, it did not become a satellite or beholden to Moscow. Georgia tried to assert itself in 2008 but was beaten by Moscow in a war. Armenia relied on Moscow for support but has found itself isolated.

The success of Azerbaijan is found in its leaders. Deek points to the “leadership and wisdom of President Ilham Aliyev and his father, Heydar Aliyev (president from 1993-2003), tapping into natural resources, building pipelines that go westward, and that give them independence.”

Oil and gas did not become a tool in the hands of the country’s neighbors. Washington has backed Baku’s play to connect its energy corridor east-west. The wealth and influence that come with energy also enable Baku to say no when it wants and to determine its future.

Deek says, “Azerbaijan’s strategy is to have balance. Azerbaijan is close to everyone but not dependent on anyone. It balances one relationship with another. That is how the country has been coping.

“It has built a prosperous state. A country that is relatively wealthy. People have a good lifestyle. Azerbaijan has hosted many events, especially in sports. In June, it will host a UFC event. It also hosted the World Climate Summit COP 29, the UN event in Baku last November.”

Deek notes how Baku is now trying to diversify its economy. “We in Israel are helping it become less dependent on oil and gas,” he says.

Jerusalem-Baku: Four pillars

Israel-Azerbaijan relations are built on four pillars, the ambassador says. He adds that Israel recognized Azerbaijan’s independence from the beginning, in August 1991.

“We define this as a strategic partnership. We have done internal polling which shows that over 80% of the Azerbaijani public sees Israel as a friendly country. It’s all across the public of Azerbaijan that Israel is a close friend,” says Deek.

What are these four pillars of the relations? First, there is the friendship and ethos of these ties. Deek speaks about the friendship of the Jewish people with a Muslim-majority country. “This includes tolerance and coexistence,” he says.

This goes far beyond slogans. Deek, who is a Christian Arab from Jaffa, has experienced this firsthand in Baku. He says that it’s clear that Jewish people in Azerbaijan are welcomed, noting there hasn’t been an incident of antisemitism in 800 years. What he likely means is a large incident like a pogrom.

He also points to how Azerbaijan relates to its Jewish minority, and even a Jewish war hero from the war against Armenia in the early 1990s. Tank commander Albert Agarunov fought in the first Karabakh in Shusha and was killed in 1992.

Today, he is regarded as a “Jewish shahid,” or martyr, and there is a statue of him in Baku. “Today, the Jewish community is around 15,000 to 20,000, and there are 80,000 Kavkazim [Jews from the Caucasus] in Israel,” Deek says.

Energy is the second pillar of the ties with Israel. “Around 30% to 40% of oil in Israel comes from Baku. Some that comes from Kazakhstan comes via the TBC pipeline,” Deek says.

The third pillar is ties relating to the defense and security sectors. “Baku is very open and public about these ties. Also in combating terrorism,” Deek points out.

Israeli defense companies have been active in Azerbaijan for years, and the country has been a major client, acquiring certain Israeli weapon systems such as missiles and drones, according to numerous reports in Israel and foreign media.

Baku has used these systems in the recent conflicts with Armenia over Karabakh, a disputed territory that was occupied by Armenia from 1991 to 2023. Iran is also sometimes seen as a threat to Baku.

The fourth pillar relates to civilian ties.

“In the past, the Azerbaijan president said the ties between Israel and Azerbaijan were like an iceberg, where there is a lot under the water and a tip above. The visible part has grown significantly since the Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020. I think the peak of it was the opening of the Azerbaijan Embassy in Israel in March 2023. That was the highlight of the visibility of our relations,” Deek says.

Warm welcome

The embassy was a big deal. Deek says that projects in Azerbaijan which are linked to Israel have become more visible and public.

“We also see projects in the water industry (Israel’s Mekorot, for instance), as well as poultry, dairy, irrigation, and agriculture; and the Technion opened a center of cyber studies and security.”

There is also cooperation in terms of space and satellite technology, as well as investment in innovation.

“Baku has invested in OurCrowd and specifically in tech. The biggest step in the economic field are the steps taken by the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), the national oil and gas company, which in 2023 won a tender with BP to explore for gas offshore of Israel. It is supposed to begin soon.

“SOCAR is also investing [in] the Tamar gas field, making it one of its biggest investments abroad. Now the partnership in Tamar comprises Israel, Azerbaijan, UAE company Mubadala, and US company Chevron.”

In regard to air travel, Deek says, “There are two flights a day from Israel to Azerbaijan.”

Deek says the country has been very welcoming. As a new ambassador coming from Israel, he wondered how he would be received; in some countries, particularly Muslim ones, his position may not always be easy. As Deek is an Arab Christian, he is a minority in a country that itself is a minority.

He says that the only comments he got upon arriving in Baku more than five years ago were that people reflected on his relative youth compared to other diplomatic envoys. Coming from the Jewish state and being a Christian wasn’t a standout.

“I was 35 when I began my work here. My background has never been an issue. I am Israeli, and the rest is irrelevant. As Christians, my family and I go to church here. Azerbaijan has built new churches, and the pope came here in 2016. Also, the Jewish community says how blessed they are.”

Strategic role

Azerbaijan is not often in the limelight, which is probably how Baku prefers things. However, these days it has been spotlighted sometimes. This is in part due to the conflict with Armenia in 2020 and 2023. Now Washington hopes this can be smoothed over.

It appears that Baku can also play a helpful role in Israel-Turkey ties and perhaps even in discussions about what happens next in Syria.

“It’s important to see the country as a strategic asset. I always say it’s the most important country people haven’t heard of,” says Deek. He is also confident that things are moving in the right direction. He mentioned the EU’s Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas and the Iranian president’s visit to the country, as well as the planned visit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which was postponed in early May. Baku also expects high-level visits from Turkey and Qatar.

“Not many places can host all these actors and build these bridges. Azerbaijan is playing a positive role between Israel and Turkey, and positions itself in a role between its allies,” says Deek.

The Israeli ambassador has worked hard over the last half decade. Ties have expanded. The Azerbaijan Embassy is open. There are some challenges. Baku’s voting record at the UN is often not in Israel’s favor. In part, this is due to history. Azerbaijan votes with the non-aligned movement and with other Muslim countries.

“We discuss it and bring it up. We respect each other a lot, and there is a deep understanding. That is how diplomacy works,” says Deek.

There are many opportunities ahead. Israel and Azerbaijan both have larger regional interests. This doesn’t only relate to Turkey but also to Central Asian states. Israel has ties with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.

It also has envoys in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are smaller, and those missions are run via the neighboring Israeli embassies. Kazakhstan is the largest country in the territory, while Uzbekistan has the largest population. Tajikistan is the only non-Turkic country in Central Asia and is a crucial region.

Post-Oct. 7

How have things changed in the 19 months since the Hamas attack?

Deek says, “I think our relations have proven, in the aftermath of Oct. 7, to be even more resilient. Azerbaijan was under pressure by foes such as Iran or friends such as elements in Turkey to dilute its level of ties with Israel. There were demonstrations in Istanbul outside the SOCAR office to demand to stop the flow of oil. There was a campaign run by Iran to stop selling oil to Israel.

“However, Baku didn’t succumb; it doubled down and continued. It isn’t because it loves us or Palestinians, but it understood we have strategic ties, and real friends are measured in times of need. It refused to let any foreign entity influence its foreign policy.”

As such, Azerbaijan has become one of Israel’s “most trusted and reliable partners,” says Deek.

“I remember after Oct. 7, many people brought flowers and teddy bears and left messages of solidarity [at the Israeli Embassy in Baku]. It was heartwarming, and we felt it on the people-to-people level; and the relations of our governments reflect that on the personal level. We had many visits by ministers, including from Azerbaijan.

“I think the first minister to visit [Israel] after Oct. 7 from a Muslim country was the Azerbaijani minister of economy Mr. Mikayil Jabbarov. Just as we stood with them during their time of need during the Second Karabakh War in 2020, they have shown they are standing with us, and that meant a lot for us as well,” the ambassador says.

Deek describes Azerbaijan as an incredibly safe country and one where antisemitism appears to be absent. For Israel and Azerbaijan, the emerging ties are just the beginning of a beautiful friendship.