“I think there’s something … unique about this relationship: Israel is the Jewish state … Azerbaijan is a Muslim state … here you have an example of Muslims and Jews working together to secure a better future … ” Benjamin Netanyahu, cited in i24news
As the Trump administration “girds its loins” for take over the reins of government, much of its attention will doubtlessly be soaked by issues that have dominated the media limelight—such as soaring crime rates, uncontrolled waves of illegal immigration, and spiraling inflation on the domestic front and the rivalry with China, Ukraine, Mideast and Iran on the international front.
On the fringes of media focus
However, despite these admittedly pressing matters, there are other topics, albeit somewhat on the periphery of the spotlight, of which the incoming White House should be aware, and whose strategic significance should not be underrated.
One of these issues was recently raised in a January 2025 position paper published by BESA, one of Israel’s major think tanks, titled “Azerbaijan: One of the pillars of Israel’s regional security system, a brief overview for the Trump administration.” In it, the authors chronicle a string of strategic spheres in which the former-Soviet Caucasian republic has a considerable potential impact—from energy, through commerce to security—and which could contribute toward advancing the policy aims of Trump’s declared international agenda.
In this regard, top-level representatives of the influential American-Jewish lobby, AIPAC, visited the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. During the meeting in the capital, Baku, the AIPAC representatives underscored the cordial relations between the Muslim-majority Azerbaijan and the Jewish state over the last three decades—this despite efforts from certain other Muslim countries for Baku to distance itself from Israel.
Citing a Jerusalem Post article, the BESA paper notes that the visit of the AIPAC delegation “demonstrates a clear recognition of Azerbaijan’s pivotal role in regional stability and its unwavering support for Israel … [and] reflects an acknowledgment that past U.S. administrations did not fully appreciate the value of engaging with Azerbaijan.”
“Significant added-value”
According to the Hebrew daily, Ma’ariv, “For the Trump administration and the State of Israel, Azerbaijan holds significant added-value.”
Indeed, the authors of the BESA paper list five major strategic considerations, which comprise this “significant added-value” for the Trump team and the formulation of its Mideast policy.
- No country other than Azerbaijan has maintained a 30-year-long military-strategic partnership with the U.S.’s key ally in the Middle East, while bordering two of America’s geopolitical adversaries—Russia and Iran.
- Azerbaijan shares an almost 800 kilometer (500 miles) long border with Iran, with Tehran barely 365 kilometers away, and ethnic Azerbaijanis, Iran’s largest minority, comprising around 20% of its population (17.7 million).
- Azerbaijan is a crucial component in the West’s endeavor to reduce Europe’s current dependency on Russian energy supplies. According to Politico, since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine “… the European Union has been looking to resource-rich Azerbaijan to help replace the Russian energy it relied on for years. And Azerbaijan has been only too happy to help.” Although considerable effort is being invested in this direction there is still much left to achieve in this sphere.
- Because of its geo-strategic location between Central Asia and Europe, Azerbaijan is rapidly becoming an important transportation hub for international trade. Thus, last November, Israel’s ambassador to Baku observed, “Israeli companies are now recognizing the strategic importance of Azerbaijan, not only as a partner but also as a crossroads between East and West – the Middle Corridor – serving as a gateway to Central Asia.” Indeed, with regard to Central Asia, which Azerbaijan abuts from the West, I recently pointed out that one of the lacunae of the Biden administration’s policy was its neglect of this region, with its wealth of strategically important metals and mineral deposits including rare earths.
- Lastly, it should be recalled that Azerbaijan is the largest country in the South Caucasus in terms of geographical size, population, economy and military prowess.
A unique nexus
But beyond this catalogue of strategic consideration and the potential alignment of U.S.-Azeri interests they portend, there is the important, and largely unique, issue of the Azerbaijan-Israel nexus.
In this regard, not only have the ties between Baku and Jerusalem proven durable and mutually beneficial but cordial as well—both at the political level vis-à-vis the Jewish state, and at the societal-cultural level vis-vis the Jewish people. Indeed, beyond the brisk commercial exchange between the two countries, there appears to be a deeper affiliation between the two people. After the Hamas Oct. 7 invasion of Israel, Azerbaijani citizens brought flowers and lit candles outside the Israeli embassy to honor the victims. Moreover, expressions of sympathy and solidarity were voiced by members of Azerbaijan’s parliament, while Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to renew flights to Israel even as numerous other Western countries refrained from doing so.
This uniquely positive attitude toward the Jewish state, unparalleled in the Muslim world, reflects Azerbaijan’s exceptional relationship with Israel, which became the only Shi’ite country to open an embassy in Israel.
Transcending prevailing divisions
Indeed as a reliable ally, Baku has played a major role in ensuring Israel’s energy security, bolstering mutual interests and offering a model of Judeo-Muslim collaboration that transcends prevailing geopolitical divisions.
This is something the new U.S. administration should factor into its foreign policy in its endeavor to engender enhanced stability across the globe.
Martin Sherman spent seven years in operational capacities in the Israeli defense establishment. He is the founder of the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a member of the Habithonistim-Israel Defense & Security Forum (IDSF) research team, and a participant in the Israel Victory Project.
