The strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Israel is today one of the most unique and stable alliances between a Muslim-majority state and the Jewish state. This cooperation spans a wide range of sectors — from energy and defense to high technology, agriculture, medicine, and diplomacy. Despite a complex regional environment and pressure from third countries, Azerbaijan and Israel continue to deepen their mutual ties, relying on shared strategic interests, historical connections, and mutual respect.
One of the central pillars of Azerbaijani-Israeli cooperation is energy. In March 2025, the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) officially signed an agreement to acquire a 10% stake in Israel’s Tamar gas field, located 90 kilometers west of Haifa and estimated to contain approximately 389 billion cubic meters of natural gas. This marked SOCAR’s first drilling operation outside of Azerbaijan and symbolized the country’s entry into a new level of international energy geopolitics.
Additionally, SOCAR, in partnership with British Petroleum and Israel’s NewMed Energy, was granted licenses to explore gas in Israel’s economic waters in Block I, near the maritime borders with Lebanon and Cyprus. These projects represent not only economic opportunities but also strategic moves that reinforce Baku’s role in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Energy cooperation is strengthening other areas as well — Israel actively supports SOCAR’s investments, including plans to transport Israeli gas through Turkish territory to Europe. Despite Turkey’s embargo on Israel, the transportation of Azerbaijani oil and gas through Turkish pipelines remains unobstructed — a sign of Turkey’s vital dependence on SOCAR, which has invested more than $18.5 billion in the Turkish economy over the past 17 years. In this way, Azerbaijan not only increases its influence in Israel but also demonstrates its ability to balance complex regional dynamics while maintaining strong ties with both Turkey and Israel.
The political dimension of the partnership is no less significant than the economic one. In Israel’s Knesset, calls are growing to elevate the strategic alliance with Azerbaijan, even suggesting the inclusion of Azerbaijan in the framework of the Abraham Accords. As Shas party MK Simon Moshiashvili emphasized, Azerbaijan is a unique ally of Israel, with decades of cooperation that did not require any political concessions. He expressed concern over the fact that countries previously at war with Israel receive extensive economic and military incentives after signing the Abraham Accords, while Azerbaijan continues to face U.S. sanctions. According to Israeli lawmakers, Azerbaijan demonstrates a stable and sincere attitude toward the Jewish state that extends beyond the political elite and is embraced by the broader population.
This is particularly evident in Azerbaijan’s treatment of its Jewish community. It is widely regarded as one of the safest and most actively supported Jewish communities in the Muslim world. In the city of Quba, there is a unique settlement known as “Red Town” — the only all-Jewish settlement outside of Israel. Synagogues, Jewish schools, and cultural centers thrive there with full state support. Even after the tragic events of October 7, 2023, in Israel, Azerbaijani citizens, including Muslims, brought flowers and lit candles outside the Israeli embassy in Baku in a show of solidarity. This illustrates the deep-rooted support for Israel not only among the elite but also within the Azerbaijani public.
Defense cooperation remains another cornerstone of the partnership. Between 2018 and 2022, Azerbaijan was the second-largest purchaser of Israeli defense products, accounting for over 9% of Israel’s total defense exports. This cooperation is rooted in shared security concerns, particularly the threat posed by Iran, with whom both countries have strained relations. Israel has been actively supporting Azerbaijan in the development of air defense systems, intelligence, and cybersecurity. Iran, in turn, perceives the strengthening of Azerbaijani-Israeli relations as a threat to its national security. Iranian officials have accused Baku of hosting Israeli intelligence operations and have even attempted to undermine Jewish organizations in Azerbaijan. One such attempt was the attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran in January 2023, which further escalated tensions between the two countries.
In recent years, cyber cooperation has become a new pillar of the Azerbaijan-Israel partnership. As Azerbaijan seeks to modernize its economy and improve national cyber resilience, it has increasingly turned to Israel’s world-leading cybersecurity sector. Israeli companies have provided advanced cyberdefense technologies, consulting, and training programs to Azerbaijani counterparts. In 2022, plans were announced to establish a joint cybersecurity center in Azerbaijan with Israeli support, aiming to train over 1,000 specialists. Bilateral visits, including AKTA’s 2023 trip to CyberTech Tel Aviv, deepened collaboration through meetings with Israeli companies and government bodies. This growing cyber alliance strengthens Azerbaijan’s digital sovereignty while further anchoring its strategic relationship with Israel in a high-tech future.
In the face of rising tensions with Iran, Azerbaijan and Israel are seeking to institutionalize their strategic alliance. Recent high-level visits reflect this intent: Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tel Aviv. Shortly afterward, an Azerbaijani government representative visited Ankara to coordinate regional policies with close allies of President Erdoğan.
In summary, the partnership between Azerbaijan and Israel is not merely a beneficial bilateral relationship — it is a comprehensive geopolitical strategy aimed at strengthening mutual influence, countering shared threats, and developing new routes for energy, technological, and diplomatic cooperation. It is a partnership that not only reshapes the balance of power in the region but also serves as a model for the wider Muslim world on how peaceful and mutually advantageous relations with Israel can be achieved.
