The Jerusalem Post: Azerbaijan strengthens its strategic partnership with Israel while many regional actors step back

Published: 2025-06-30 06:43

"Azerbaijan remains one of Israel’s primary oil suppliers, transporting crude via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Israeli arms played a critical role in supporting Azerbaijan’s military efforts against Armenia. And while Baku has denied any role in facilitating Israeli operations during the recent war between Israel and Iran, the two countries are widely believed to coordinate closely in countering Iranian influence across the region. Azerbaijan has also stepped up diplomatically, hosting a series of high-level meetings between Israeli and Turkish defense officials in May 2025 in an effort to ease tensions over the use of Syrian airspace," according to the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post.

"The message is unmistakable: Azerbaijan, a secular state with a Shi’ite-majority population, is reinforcing its strategic partnership with Israel at a time when many regional actors are distancing themselves or expressing unease with Israeli policy. While others question Israel’s military posture and its alignment with broader regional visions of connectivity and economic cooperation, Baku is doubling down. This move also sends a signal to Washington and Europe: Azerbaijan sees itself as a capable player in regional affairs – ready to expand its role in energy security, diplomacy, and integration efforts like the Abraham Accords," the newspaper emphasizes.

By Azerbaijani-Israeli Alliance Global News