According to Kan 11 News citing Senior Israeli officials, there is progress in the negotiations to open an Azerbaijani embassy in Israel. Azerbaijan and Israel have had full diplomatic relations since 1992, and Israel has had an embassy in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, since 1993, shortly after the former Soviet republic gained its independence in 1991. But despite several promises it made over the years, Azerbaijan has chosen so far not to open an embassy in Israel.
It does maintain a Tourist Ministry office in Tel Aviv
Azerbaijan has been engaged in an on-again, off-again war with its neighbor Armenia since the fall of the Soviet Union. The last major war between the two countries took place in the fall of 2020, but sporadic clashes between them continue to this day. A substantial oil producer, Azerbaijan is one of Israel’s security industry’s best clients. Since the year 2000, when the two countries signed their first defense cooperation agreements, Azerbaijan has relied on Israel for much of its security needs, including aircraft, guns, tanks, and anti-personnel weapons.
Both Israel and Azerbaijan share an existential fear regarding Iran’s aggression, but, of course, sharing a border with the Islamic Republic has made the Azeris even more anxious. It is rumored that Israel maintains an IAF airport near Azerbaijan’s border with Iran, to support a future Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear war program.
The Azeri media recently reported a statement by a member of parliament, who claimed a decision had been reached in principle to open an embassy in Israel, but there may be technical delays to the move. In early October, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Azerbaijan for strategic talks.
