AFP: Senior Azerbaijani official confirms Baku hosted Turkey-Israel talks

Published: 2025-06-03 08:39

"With growing influence after its recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenian separatists in 2023, Azerbaijan is using its close ties with Israel and Turkey to defuse tensions between the regional foes in Syria. Azerbaijan’s top foreign policy adviser Hikmet Hajiyev confirmed Baku has hosted more than three rounds of talks between Turkey and Israel, who are both operating in Syria to reduce what they see as security threats," according to an article by Agence France-Presse (AFP), published by the Saudi English-language newspaper Arab News and the website of the Saudi state-owned news channel Al Arabiya.

"As a close ally and strategic partner of Turkey, Azerbaijan has consistently aligned itself with Ankara’s positions on key international matters, including the Syrian issue. But it also enjoys good relations with Israel -- which is very reliant on Azerbaijani oil, and is a major arms supplier to Baku. And now Baku, which has established contacts with Syria’s new rulers, is pushing quiet diplomacy by facilitating technical talks between Turkey and Israel," the article emphasizes.

By Azerbaijani-Israeli Alliance Global News