Why Azerbaijan, Bahrain's Baku meetings with President Herzog are important - analysis

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog met President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan in Baku this week. He also met Foreign Minister of Bahrain Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani. These are important meetings for Israel. They come amid a number of diplomatic and other successes. For instance, Colombia has inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem. Colombia’s foreign minister Omar Bula Escobar came to Israel for the event. In addition, on October 8 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Vice President of Paraguay, Pedro Alliana in Jerusalem.

These are historic days for Israel. Three years after the October 7 attacks, Israel is increasing its engagement with various countries. This comes as there is discussion in media about whether fighting with Iran may resume. The meetings between Herzog and the president of Azerbaijan and foreign minister of Bahrain are important in this context. Azerbaijan is a rising power in its area of the Caucasus, with influence that extends to Europe and Central Asia and beyond. It also borders Iran.

Bahrain is an important Gulf country. It joined the Abraham Accords in 2020. In the October 14 meeting between Herzog and Aliyev, Herzog’s office said that “President Herzog thanked President Aliyev for the warm welcome and noted that Azerbaijan is a model of stability and an important and respected voice in the international community.” His office also noted “the meeting was held as part of President Herzog’s participation in the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, at the invitation of President Aliyev.”

Azerbaijan is an important country for many reasons

The leaders 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.” This is important; Azerbaijan is an important country for many reasons. It is doing outreach to Syria recently. It is a close friend of Turkey. Turkey has tended to be critical of Israel and Israel has concerns about Turkey’s role in Syria. Baku can potentially play an important role to reduce tensions.

Herzog’s office noted that “President Aliyev thanked President Herzog for his words of appreciation regarding Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of CICA, and emphasized that his country continues to work to strengthen mutual trust among CICA member states and to advance practical cooperation between them.”

Herzog said,  “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. 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.”

In the meeting with Bahrain, which also took place in Baku, Herzog also discussed the importance of strengthening the Abraham Accords. This is important because the October 7 war has made it difficult for expansion of the Accords to take place. However, with war winding down, there are many opportunities. “President Herzog emphasized the great importance Israel attaches to its relations with the Kingdom of Bahrain and commended the courageous leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Government of Bahrain. The President conveyed his warmest wishes to His Majesty the King and the Bahraini people,” Herzog’s office said in a statement distributed by Israel’s Government press Office.

The important relationship between Israel and Azerbaijan

It’s worth recalling the important relationship between Israel and Azerbaijan that has developed over the last decades. Israel and Azerbaijan established diplomatic relations in April 1992, shortly after Azerbaijan gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The relationship expanded over the years. Energy trade and defense sales have been important building blocks. Azerbaijan has become a modern military power and it has showcased Israeli defense technology during events in the past. In 2023 Azerbaijan opened an embassy in Israel. George Deek played a key role as Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan from 2018 to 2025.

Bahrain-Israel ties are also important. They are less in the spotlight than Israel-UAE ties or even Israel-Morocco ties. However, Bahrain is an important part of the Abraham Accords. Bahrain is a cautious country and this caution means it is not often in the spotlight in the Gulf. However, it has also suffered from threats during the recent Iran conflict. Israel opened an embassy in Manama in 2021 following the Abraham Accords. There has been cooperation in the past years.

The meetings in Baku are important in terms of the larger regional context. Israeli defense companies also had a major role at the Marrakesh Air Show this week in Morocco. As such, there is a growing perception that Israeli ties with various Muslim countries are now improving and also more public than they have been in the last several years.