Ehud Olmert: Israel supports Azerbaijan's peace efforts in South Caucasus

Israel supports Azerbaijan in its efforts to achieve lasting peace in the South Caucasus region, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in an interview with Report, commenting on information about the completion of the peace treaty text coordination between Baku and Yerevan, Reort informs.

"I am very pleased with the progress in the peace process. Thanks to exceptional efforts, things are moving forward. It is also gratifying that Armenia is seriously considering signing a peace treaty," said Olmert.

The former prime minister emphasized that any armed conflict negatively affects peoples, so progress in achieving peace gives hope. Olmert also criticized the political steps of European structures regarding Azerbaijan. According to him, European leaders and the European Parliament should think through their steps and act in a balanced manner.

"If an international court had made any decision against Azerbaijan, that's one thing. But the political steps of European structures, you know, look strange," he said.

Olmert noted that relations between Israel and Azerbaijan are at a traditionally high level.

"Whatever government we have, it will always maintain good relations with Azerbaijan, I promise you. Our relations depend not on governments, but on the friendship of our peoples," he said.

The politician emphasized that while heading the Israeli government, he met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev several times and is grateful for the achieved level of trust between the states.

"I am grateful for many things we achieved together, which I cannot talk about in detail. This includes security, economic and energy cooperation. This was very important for us," he concluded.