Is Baku a deceptive ally of the Israel?

By: H. Zaïm-Bashi

Armenia has recently voiced alarm about the expansion of the Zionist regime's influence in the Southern Caucasus through the Republic of Azerbaijan, while the Islamic Republic of Iran has given stern warnings that Israel's presence undermines regional stability.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian recently met with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. At the joint discussion, Mr. Amir-Abdollahian stated: "The presence of Zionists in the Caucasus is a serious threat to peace and stability, and one of the outcomes of the crisis in the Caucasus is Israel finding a foothold in the region."

Amir-Abdollahian also pointed out: "Wherever the Zionists have set foot, they have brought nothing but insecurity and mayhem." "The Islamic Republic of Iran invites all parties to act vigilantly vis-à-vis the fake Zionist regime agendas and not provide access to Zionists in the Caucasus and other areas."

Despite Iran's grave reservations, the Azerbaijani parliament has voted to open an embassy in Tel Aviv in November 2022. This was widely regarded as a pivotal point in Baku-Tel Aviv bilateral ties.

A few weeks later, Azerbaijan's deputy education minister was appointed the country's first ambassador to Israel. Later, Azerbaijan's foreign minister met with a delegation of Israeli diplomats, including the Zionist regime's ambassadors across the region, to deliberate on regional issues. Israeli officials have said that fostering diplomatic relations is part of Tel Aviv's relentless campaign to extend bonds with Central Asian and Caucasian republics. Central Asia, the energy-rich region between Iran, Turkey, Russia, China, and the Indian subcontinent, is a crucial crossroads connecting Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East.

The following are some of Israel's goals across Central Asia and the Caucasus:

1.     a) Closeness to Iran's borders,

2.     b) The sale of weapons,

3.     c) Spreading terrorism,

4.     d) and the availability of reliable energy sources.

In this regard, in an interview with the Times of Israel, Azerbaijani legislator Ramin Mamedov claimed, "Baku no longer takes Iran's stances on deepening its relations with Israel into consideration." "Because of Iranian threats and rising tensions with Armenia, Baku had been hesitant to open an embassy [in Israel]. However, Baku and Tel Aviv can accomplish their goals without foreign interference."

Israel's backing for Baku in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been underlined by the Knesset's Azerbaijani parliamentary friendship group. At the same time, the Azerbaijani MPs lauded the Zionist regime's support for Azerbaijan's war efforts and praised the bilateral trust between the two countries.

Israel provided Azerbaijan with advanced weapons during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. Between 2016 and 2020, Israel accounted for 69% of all of Azerbaijan's acquisitions of armaments and 17% of Tel Aviv's arms exports during the period, according to research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Ilham Aliyev claimed in 2016 that his country had bought $4.85 billion worth of weapons from the Zionist regime, an amount that Israel has never affirmed. On January 27, i24News broadcast an episode that lauded Israel-Azerbaijan military collaboration. According to i24NEWS, Azerbaijan provided 40% of Israel's energy needs in exchange for Israeli military hi-tech. The Israeli channel advised the Zionist officials to maintain and deepen Tel Aviv's relations with Azerbaijan due to the strategic significance of this matter.

The facts suggest that ties between Baku and Tel Aviv will strengthen in the future, as their mutual dependency has reached a high point; on the other hand, Azerbaijan must demonstrate that it enjoys firm political and military support in its inexorable plans to invade Armenia's southern province of Syunik and the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

A military and intelligence edge over Armenia is possible if Baku has access to Israeli information-security technology, which Yerevan lacks.

The leadership of Azerbaijan signalled to Armenia that its military might grow in the future when it announced a rapid improvement in political relations with the Zionist regime by establishing an embassy in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In the meantime, Israel has been in need of Azerbaijan moving closer to the Iranian border.

Hence, Azerbaijan and Israel have much in common and are expected to grow closer. Meanwhile, the United States, Russia, and Turkey have all welcomed Baku-Tel Aviv connexions, each for distinct reasons.

The Zionist regime's strategy in the Caucasus is, despite its internal troubles, its sole trump card at the moment, as Israel's security establishment may benefit from the escalating tensions between Azerbaijan and Iran.

Nevertheless, Azerbaijan's location close to the Iranian border has made it a deceiving ally for Israel, as Baku knows well that any suspicious actions that might jeopardise Iran's national security would go unanswered. The Zionists must remember the adage “Fallaces Sunt Rerum Species”, which means that appearances can be misleading.