Expert: Opening of Azerbaijani embassy in Israel to make co-op more efficient

The opening of the Azerbaijani embassy in Israel, which took place on March 29, is necessary for more effective bilateral cooperation, Simon Tsipis, PhD in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Bonn in Germany, told Report.

Tsipis stressed that there are many areas where Azerbaijan and Israel can cooperate. High technology can be one of the important areas for this, he noted.

“Israel is one of the leading countries in the world for development and implementation of high technological solutions and software, especially in cyber security of Telecom and Critical Infrastructure (gas/oil/transportation/medicine/water supply etc.). Hence, Azerbaijan is interested in its development as a modern state, and Israel is interested in selling its high-tech products,” he added.

The political scientist noted that military-technical cooperation between Israel and Azerbaijan also holds a significant place in the development of bilateral relations.

Another important area of cooperation, according to the political scientist, is the joint struggle against radical Islam: “Therefore, Israel’s vast experience in fighting Islamic terrorism would be considered as a favorable point of partnership for Azerbaijanian authorities, and this element will contribute to good relations between our countries as well.”

The professor also reminded that relations between the two countries have historical roots: “Azerbaijan today is where once was the Khazarian Empire. In fact, most Azerbaijanians, from ethnical point of view, are mostly the descendants of the Khazarians. Since Khazarian Empire was destroyed in 965 A.D., the Khazarians adopted Judaism in a quiet broad scale. Many Jews in Israel, as well as around the world, (mostly in Eastern Europe – the Ashkenazi) are in fact Khazarians. This is one point of proximity between today’s Israel and modern Azerbaijan – history, cultural and traditional past.”