BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 24. Relations between Azerbaijan and Israel are sort of underappreciated, said Daniel B. Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, as he addressed the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the Middle East, Trend reports.
He emphasized that Baku’s ties with Israel did not begin with the Abraham Accords - a U.S.-brokered diplomatic initiative launched in 2020 - but rather well before that. "Azerbaijan has had diplomatic relations with Israel for many years, but it's one of the leading Muslim countries that has done that long before the Abraham Accords came on the scene," Shapiro pointed out.
Drawing attention to Azerbaijan’s geographical and geopolitical position, he highlighted the country’s relevance to regional security and energy dynamics."Because of their proximity to the region and even to the threats Israel faces from Iran, they've been a security partner because of their energy resources. And I might add with that, it's the only country in the world that borders Russia and Iran. So their strategic importance is really impossible to deny".
Beyond security and energy, Shapiro praised Azerbaijan’s capacity to act as a convener and bridge-builder between Israel and the wider Muslim world. "They also have that sort of cultural convening capability and are able to build bridges to strengthen Israel's relations with other Arab and Muslim countries, including some in Central Asia," he said.
"As we've thought about ways of broadening those regional convenings to really have the sense of a European Union or an ASEAN-style organization or gathering of countries in the Middle East. Azerbaijan most certainly should take part in something like that," Shapiro added.