Elchin Amirbayov: Israel-Azerbaijan relations only expected to grow

Israel and Azerbaijan have forged a “strategic partnership” with relations between the two nations at an all-time high and only expected to grow, Elchin Amirbayov, representative of the president of Azerbaijan for special assignments, told Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) in an interview in Baku, Report informs.

“Today we are at the peak of our bilateral relationship, with a strong will to deepen and expand this friendship and cooperation,” Elchin Amirbayov noted.

“What you see is the tip of the iceberg,” he added. “It’s multi-fold, vibrant and constantly expanding.”

Amirbayov pays tribute to both the local Jewish population of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani community in Israel for friendly ties.

About 25,000-30,000 Jews live in Azerbaijan today, while tens of thousands of Jews from Azerbaijan immigrated to Israel and maintain strong ties with the Caucasus nation.

“The Jewish population are ‘living bridges’ which unite our countries and solidify this relationship,” Amirbayov said. “The Jewish population has always been part of our population, a vibrant community integrated in our society,” Amirbayov noted. “They are part of us.”

“There has never been a case of antisemitism, which is a rare thing not only for a Muslim country but for other countries as well,” he added.

Azerbaijan is also looking for Israeli businesses to participate in the restoration and rehabilitation of the recovered territory, which has been hard-hit by the three-decade-old conflict, Amirbayov said. It is also seeking investment from Israeli companies.

“We want Israeli businesses to be more present in Azerbaijan,” Amirbayov said.

Azerbaijan, with its close ties and historic brotherhood with Türkiye, pledged to work to improve ties between Israel and Türkiye.

“I would be very surprised is nothing has already been done to have good relations restored,” Amirbayov said.