Photo by Orxan Musayev on Unsplash
The opening of a new Azeri Embassy in Israel has been hailed as a significant step in advancing the cooperation between the two countries and constitutes a natural continuation of the centuries-old friendship between the Azeri and Jewish nations.
30 ministers and members of the Israeli Knesset wrote an open letter of congratulations to the Azeri Speaker of Parliament, Sahiba Gafarova, and members of the Azeri Parliament on the occasion of opening the new Azeri Embassy in Israel. Among the signatories were members of the Israeli government, parliamentarians from the ruling Likud party and prominent opposition figures.
Ministers and members of Knesset wrote that “We share a common and dangerous enemy – the Iranian tyranny that threatens to destroy both our nations. The Ayatollah regime, that cruelly murders its own people and encourages terror throughout the world, uses anti-Semitic propaganda to incite the people of Azerbaijan against the secular government that is respected in the international arena.”
Over 500 people have been killed in the ongoing public protests in Iran against the government. Many of the victims were ethnic Azeris living In Iran. There are over twenty million Azeris living in Iran who are deprived of any basic possibilities to learn their native language and culture.
The letter of support from Israel to Azerbaijan also criticises the fierce anti-Azerbaijan resolutions calling for sanctions against Azerbaijan adopted by the French Senate and National Assembly. Israeli politicians criticise the French assault against Azerbaijan, which is predominantly a Shiite country where religious tolerance is fully practiced. It is quite remarkable, that today Israel and Azerbaijan point at Iran as their mutual enemy, as we see in the letter.
“We view the November resolution of the French Senate with bewilderment as they call to apply sanctions against Azerbaijan and an embargo on the purchase of gas and oil by the EU. This decision plays directly into the hands of Iran, who is interested in weakening Azerbaijan which represents a progressive Shiite-Muslim country that maintains close ties with Israel and the Western world. We hope that they will reconsider their decision.”
The ill-considered French initiative to put an end to oil and gas supplies to Europe from Azerbaijan plays ultimately into the hands of both Iran and Russia. Any cuts in Azerbaijani supplies of energy resources will make it harder for Europe to continue with sanctions against Russia. This will also reopen the gates for Iran.
The Jewish community in Azerbaijan has congratulated the Israeli Knesset ministers on the letter. “This letter is meaningful encouragement for us, and a birthday gift to President Ilham Aliyev, a supporter of Israel and the Jewish people,” said Rabbi Zamir Isayev, Rabbi of the Georgian community in Azerbaijan, and member of the international body, the Conference of European Rabbis.
In the meanwhile, evidence is emerging that Armenia is actively circumventing EU sanctions against Russia
Since Russia started its war with Ukraine, exports from Armenia to Russia have surged, placing Armenia in the global arena as a “sanction-skirter”. Yerevan is working hard to establish alternative routes for shipments to Russia, meaning that alongside posturing towards the West, Armenia still intends to take good advantage of the economic climate in the region, which is referred to as “cakeism”. But this stance is not sustainable, as the double-faced policy is getting noticed due to very high levels of imports from the EU, for which the only feasible explanation is re-exports, or in other words, parallel imports to Russia.
