Herzog meets Azerbaijan’s Aliyev in Baku, discusses deepening ‘strategic’ ties

President Isaac Herzog meets with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the presidential palace in Baku to discuss ways to “deepen the strategic relationship” between the two countries, according to a readout from Herzog’s office.

The meeting comes ahead of Herzog’s planned address at tomorrow’s Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia summit in Baku.

“The two presidents discussed ways to deepen the strategic relationship between Israel and Azerbaijan, which is rooted in mutual respect, shared interests, and the deep historical ties between the two peoples. They also discussed recent regional developments and the two countries’ shared commitment to stability and security in the region,” the readout says.

Herzog thanks Aliyev “for our partnership and for the open dialogue between us, and I believe we have much more to achieve together.”

Baku has maintained close relations with Jerusalem and has been a key regional partner in recent years. Israel, which is very reliant on Azerbaijani oil, is a major arms supplier to Baku.

According to multiple reports, Azerbaijan has hosted Israeli troops for operations against Iran, with which it shares a border.