Lieberman: Expansion of bilateral co-op in all spheres meets Israeli, Azerbaijani interests

/By Azernews/

By Gulgiz Dadashova

Last week, one of Israel’s most outspokenly hawkish and experienced political figures, Avigdor Lieberman has been appointed the Defense Minister of Israel.

Baku immediately welcomed the appointment as Lieberman in this position is expected to boost the historic and strategic ties between Azerbaijan and Israel.

With Israeli-Azerbaijani cooperation as a model for many, Lieberman’s addition to the government would push the bilateral ties to highest levels.

Lieberman, in his exclusive interview with Trend, stated that the level of Azerbaijan-Israel relations is really very high and it is difficult to overestimate their importance for the two countries.

The Israel- Azerbaijan cooperation is developing quite dynamically in the widest range of spheres, said Lieberman. "The expansion of bilateral cooperation in all areas meets the interests of our countries and I believe that it is very prospective,” he said.

Israel and Azerbaijan seem strange friends for many, but it is the human bridge that solidifies the Azerbaijani-Israeli ties. Azerbaijan, being a country of total tolerance, is a birthplace of one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world.

There are 30,000 Jews still living in Azerbaijan. Several synagogues are operating in the capital of Azerbaijan, as well as in Guba and Oguz regions. Synagogue, opened in Baku in 2003 is one of the largest in Europe. In September 2003, the first Jewish school was opened in Baku.

The development of economic ties is particularly great, as Israel rose from being Azerbaijan’s tenth largest trading partner to its third in February 2016, and currently the bilateral trade turnover is around $5 billion.

Speaking about the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel in fighting terrorism, Lieberman noted that currently, fighting terrorism is of vital importance for Israel.

"Throughout the history, since the creation of the state, we have to confront the constant and incessant terrorist attacks. All countries of the free world should combine their efforts to repulse the international terrorism," he said.

Azerbaijan and Israel have built strong relations in the field of intelligence and security cooperation for 25 years, and these relations will only grow stronger. The two are fighting against international terror, working together for security, peace and prosperity in the region.

Azerbaijan has always been a strategic country for Israel, a friendly Muslim country and a key energy supplier. Since the early 1990s, Israeli-Azerbaijani relations have expanded to include cooperation in trade and security matters as well as cultural and educational exchanges.

The two countries have repeatedly stated that their cooperation is not against any country, but defending against enemy forces. Baku and Tel-Aviv, as the capitals of two friendly peoples, seek to find ever more in common and bring the ties to the highest levels.

Although, Baku lacks diplomatic mission in Tel-Aviv, the countries continuously exchange diplomatic and business delegations. Israel – Azerbaijan International Association (Aziz), which welcomed Lieberman’s appointment, works to ensure the evolving pattern of interactions between Azerbaijan and Israel.

Experts say Lieberman’s appointment as the defense minister will contribute to the expansion of military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel, as Lieberman also has good personal relations with the Azerbaijani leadership.

Having Lieberman, who is now the second most important politician of Israel, in the defense minister's office and Tel-Aviv will ensure the successful cooperation between the defense establishments of Israel and Azerbaijan, including the military - industrial projects, believes Ariel Cohen.

Cohen, PhD, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and director of the Center for Energy, Natural Resources and Geopolitics at the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, told Trend that such a cooperation is very much in the interest of both parties.