Israel’s President Herzog Meets Azerbaijan’s Aliyev, Pushes to Deepen Strategic Ties

Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Wednesday, with the two leaders seeking to deepen their countries’ longstanding strategic partnership while reaffirming their shared commitment to regional security, stability, and expanded cooperation.

The two presidents met at the Presidential Palace in the Azerbaijani capital during Herzog’s visit for the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit, discussing ways to strengthen bilateral relations across multiple fields and exchanging views on recent regional developments.

“Israel and Azerbaijan share a unique relationship, one that has been developed over many years and has proven its importance in complex times as well,” Herzog said following the meeting.

“I thank President Ilham Aliyev for our partnership and for the open dialogue between us, and I believe we have much more to achieve together: strengthening the ties between our peoples, expanding our cooperation, and creating new opportunities for generations to come,” he added.

“The friendship between our countries is of deep value, and we are committed to continuing to nurture it.”

In a separate statement posted on X, Herzog thanked Aliyev for his warm welcome, praising Azerbaijan as a respected and influential regional partner under his leadership.

“The excellent ties between Israel and Azerbaijan are rooted in mutual respect, shared interests, and the deep historical ties between our peoples,” Herzog wrote.

He said the two leaders discussed further deepening their strategic relationship across multiple fields, alongside regional developments and their shared commitment to security and stability.

According to the Azerbaijani presidency’s official account, the presidents also exchanged views on bilateral relations and issues on the international and regional agendas.

Herzog congratulated Azerbaijan on the extension of its CICA chairmanship through 2028, commending its efforts to expand practical cooperation and strengthen confidence-building measures among member states.

Aliyev thanked Herzog for the recognition and emphasized Azerbaijan’s continuing efforts to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation within the organization.

The meeting underscored the longstanding partnership between Israel and Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority nation bordering Iran that has cultivated close diplomatic, economic, and security ties with the Jewish state.

Azerbaijan supplies a substantial share of Israel’s oil, while Israel has long been a major supplier of military equipment to Baku. Their relationship extends well beyond energy and defense, with both countries maintaining embassies and pursuing cooperation across a range of diplomatic and economic fields.

Both leaders expressed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in the years ahead, with Herzog describing Azerbaijan as a model of stability and a valued voice in the international community.

During his visit to Baku, Herzog also met with Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, with the two discussing efforts to strengthen the Abraham Accords and expand regional cooperation.

“An excellent meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain,” Herzog wrote on X.

“We discussed the friendship and ties between Israel and Bahrain, as well as the importance of the U.S.-led Abraham Accords in strengthening security, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East,” he added.

Herzog said the two also discussed recent regional developments and conveyed his warm wishes to Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Bahraini people.

Bahrain established diplomatic relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords brokered by President Donald Trump in 2020, becoming one of several Arab nations to normalize ties with the Jewish state.