Why is Israel PM Netanyahu flying to Muslim country Azerbaijan just 10 days after Iranian President's visit?

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Azerbaijan, a Shi’ite Muslim country, next week, according to his office. Interestingly, this visit comes just 10 days after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian paid an official visit to the country.

The timing of the visit, happening amid the US-Iran talks, has triggered speculations, especially since the Muslim country expressed interest in strengthening ties with Israel and willingness to join the 2020 Abraham Accords. While Baku's position with regard to the Jewish state has wide geo-political ramifications, it is also striving to mend ties with Iran, with whom it had

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had recently extended a warm welcome to Pezeshkian though Baku is said to be taking a cautious realignment of Iranian-Azerbaijani relations in a highly competitive geopolitical landscape.

According to Netanyahu's office, the Prime Minister will be accompanied by his wife Sara and will meet with Aliyev and visit members of the local Jewish community the next day. He is scheduled to spend Shabbat in Baku. However, Netanyahu is expected to discuss Turkey’s presence in Syria and the recent Israeli-Turkish dialogue hosted in Baku, which aims to play a mediator role in Israel's relations with other countries.

Though there is no mention of the US-Iran talks, it would likely feature in the visit considering Iran's bid to improve relations with Azerbaijan. The bilateral relations between the countries worsened after a 2023 attack on Azerbaijan’s Tehran embassy and Baku's increasing closeness with Tel Aviv. While Iran perceived Azerbaijan's stance as threat, Azerbaijan accused Iranian proxies of destabilisation efforts.

"Azerbaijan is a leading country in the Muslim world in all that concerns normalizing relations with Israel, even before the Abrahamic States," George Deek, Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan, told JNS on Tuesday. "Azerbaijan can lead the expansion of the Abrahamic States Forum to non-Arab Muslim countries, and this is something we fully support," he stated. 

Middle East