(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Elnur Enveroglu read more Baku has taken a historic step to establish closer ties with
Israel and take them to new highs following the Iran-Armenian duo
in the South Caucasus.
Back in November 2022 when the Azerbaijani parliament endorsed a
law giving the go-ahead for the opening of the nation's first-ever
embassy in Tel Aviv, it sent shockwaves through Iran's theocratic
regime in Tehran and mobilized overtly and covertly the
regime-backed militants and militia groups against Azerbaijan.
Frustrated by the move, the Tehran regime and its mouthpieces
doubled their anti-Azerbaijani rhetoric and accusations of
cooperation with Israel, providing Tel Aviv with opportunities to
establish a military presence in Iran's backyard.
As regards the diplomatic relationship between Israel and
Azerbaijan, it goes back to the early 1990s with Tel Aviv's
significant support to Azerbaijan, during the rise of the ongoing
conflict with Armenia over Karabakh.
The appointment of Baku's first envoy to Israel after 30 years
of mutual relations made this connection more promising.
Speaking to Azernews, Israeli political analyst Dr. Hay Eytan
Cohen Yanarocak from Tel Aviv University said that the opening of
the Azerbaijani embassy in Israel is of great importance.
“The inauguration of the Azerbaijani embassy in Israel
should not be considered as an ordinary act. It is a strategic
decision. It is a clear message to Tehran. During the Second
Karabakh War, Iran openly supported Armenia. Today, in the
aftermath of the war, we all see the Tehran regime is against the
Zangazur corridor. Iran conducts military drills at the border with
Azerbaijan. Bearing in mind all these facts, Iran's aggressive
attitude against Azerbaijan should encourage Israel to deepen her
relations with Baku even more,” the political analyst
opined.
The pundit added that Israel also considers Turkiye's
exceptional role in the security of the region. According to him,
peace and security are maintained through joint efforts in the
political and military sectors.
“The Israeli-Azerbaijani joint military drills - similar
to those that were conducted by Israel and Turkiye during the 1990s
- can further strengthen the relations. Certainly, this
rapprochement can even be strengthened with Turkiye's inclusion in
the equitation,” he said.
The professor also emphasized the future prospect of
Israel-Azerbaijan relations in the diplomatic sphere.
“The inauguration of the Azerbaijani embassy will
eventually pave the way for further improvement of the
people-to-people relations and will boost trade, tourism, and
further cooperation. As an Israeli academic working at both Tel
Aviv and Ben Gurion University, I am looking forward to launching
new projects with my Azerbaijani colleagues.”
Another Israeli media expert Shmuel Dean Elmas said having the
Israeli embassy alone in Azerbaijan would never maintain strong
relations between the two countries.
“I believe that George Deek is an amazing ambassador, but you
can't expand your bilateral relations one-sidedly. Muxtar bay is an
experienced diplomat that will contribute to the development of the
economic, defense, and tourism ties. I am convinced that the trade
volume will break records in the upcoming
years. ”
According to Elmas, Tehran is more anxious as it better realizes
that the relations between Azerbaijan and Israel are not like the
one between Iran and Armenia.
“When you want to check your friends, you should do it
in tough times. I think that if you take the 1990s or the Second
Karabakh War as an example, we can see how Israel is among the two
best friends of Baku. Therefore, the Ayatollah regime is afraid so
much. As for Israel's existence in the South Caucasus, so if
Armenia thinks about another war, they should understand that their
odds are so bad when Israel is with Azerbaijan.”
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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow him on
@elnurmammadli1