(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Sabina Mammadli read more The secret of strong cooperation lies in mutual respect and
trust, as well as common goals and interests. When countries
prioritize these factors, they can build meaningful and sustainable
cooperation that benefits all parties involved. This has always
been the case with Azerbaijan and Israel, who throughout the
history of bilateral ties have supported each other's territorial
integrity and proved to be trustworthy partners in various
spheres.
The opening of the Azerbaijani embassy in Israel's Tel Aviv has
been another step in the direction of bilateral partnership. Not
long after this historic act, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen is
due to visit Azerbaijan's Baku, where he is expected to take part
in the next meeting of the Azerbaijan-Israel intergovernmental
commission, which will be held on April 19, as well as hold a
number of meetings with the country's officials. The minister is
accompanied by a business delegation of 20 Israeli companies in the
field of cybersecurity, homeland security, water supply, and
agriculture, which further indicates that the cooperation between
the two countries is limitless.
The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Israel in
January-February 2023 amounted to $334.1 million, which is 26.36
percent more than in the same period last year. Such statistics
serve to prove that the high-level cooperation between Azerbaijan
and Israel is beneficial for both states.
In a comment to Azernews , Director of
Azerbaijan Jewish Media Center Nasimi Abilov talked about the visit
of the Israeli FM, as well as the future prospects of cooperation
between the two countries.
Noting that Cohen's visit coincides with International Holocaust
Remembrance Day, Abilov added that it also follows the opening of
the Azerbaijani embassy in Israel, during which the foreign
minister was invited to visit Baku.
“Let us inform you that Eli Cohen is visiting Azerbaijan for the
first time as a foreign minister. If we take into account that
Israel's relations and its status in the world are vast, then the
importance of the visit to Azerbaijan can be noted,” the director
stated.
Having noted further prospects of cooperation between Israel and
Azerbaijan, Abilov stressed that the relations of mutual friendship
and cooperation between the two countries are based not only on
economic and strategic benefits, but also on traditional
historical, and cultural roots. He also added that the political
relations between the two countries are also at a high level.
“For many years now, Israel has become the main supplier of
weapons and high technologies to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has
received weapons and military equipment worth about 5 billion
dollars so far from its ally in the Middle East. Such an agreement
brought only a favor to Azerbaijan,” he remarked.
Furthermore, the expert stressed that Azerbaijan and Israel have
become key regional players for each other, especially by
cooperating in the sectors that both countries need most.
“The studying and promotion of new ways of economic, business
and trade relations are being successfully carried out. Thus,
relations between Azerbaijan and Israel are not limited to trade
and arms import. Since both countries consider Iran a "regional
antagonist", the concept of military cooperation between the two
states has deepened. Officials in Tehran view these military ties
as a threat to Iran's security. Nevertheless, bilateral relations
in all fields will continue at the same pace of development, and
this will bring success to both nations at the regional and
international levels,” he added.
To finalize, Abilov pointed out that both countries need close
cooperation with each other from a broad political perspective and
to ensure that these links are based not only on mutual interests
in trade and security issues but also on long-standing traditions
of Jewish-Azerbaijani friendship.
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Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @sabinammdl