The Tourism and Trade Representation Offices of Azerbaijan have been operating in Israel since late July 2021, and last month Azerbaijan opened a tourism representation office in Tel Aviv.
Furthermore, the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Tourism of Israel signed an agreement on cooperation in tourism. The document, signed by the Chairman of the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan Fuad Nagiyev and Israeli Minister of Tourism Yoel Razvozov, implies the establishment of relations between tourism regulatory authorities, tourism associations, organizations and relevant companies in both countries. It also reflects the parties’ focus on expanding cooperation in the field of historical, digital, environmental, adventure tourism, and the promotion of familiarization tours of religious sites.
Tourism as an area essential not only for the development of the economy, but also for the popularization of countries, their history, culture and traditions, contributes greatly to the strengthening and deepening of relations not only between states, but also between people.
According to statistics, 47,000 Israelis visited Azerbaijan in 2019. This is an increase of 17.3% compared to 2018. And despite the sharp decline in tourist flow during the pandemic, with the gradual opening of the borders in 2021, it is steadily increasing again.
What can tourists find interesting in Azerbaijan? Apart from Baku, the main and most visited tourist center of the country today, the Azerbaijani regions with their picturesque landscapes and unique traditions may grab their attention. Israeli tourists, of course, may be very interested in visiting the places where peaceful and friendly coexistence of Azerbaijanis and Jews over the centuries has shaped common values.
This is, first of all, the township of Krasnaya Sloboda (Red Village) in Quba, the world’s only place of dense residence of Mountain Jews outside Israel. But in other regions of Azerbaijan as well, in Ismayilli and Oguz districts, and in Baku itself, the Jewish heritage is still preserved to this day.
It is worth mentioning that the State Agency for Tourism has implemented a number of measures to develop tourism potential in the context of the historical Jewish heritage. For example, a route has been designed to familiarize tourists with this heritage, and together with the Embassy of Israel in Azerbaijan, work has been done to develop and improve tourist routes in the territory densely populated by Mountain Jews in the township of Krasnaya Sloboda in Quba District.
Israelis will probably like to visit the liberated lands of Azerbaijan as well, where they can admire the unique beauty of these places and see with their own eyes the traces of barbarism committed during the years of occupation.
The opening of Azerbaijan’s tourism representation office in Tel Aviv, along with the opening of the Tourism and the Trade Representation Offices of Azerbaijan at the end of July last year, can significantly expand and deepen bilateral relations. Mikhail Finkel, a well-known Israeli political scientist and international law expert, emphasizes this factor.
“Tourism is a unique destination, and it goes both ways. As someone who has been to Azerbaijan many times, I can say that it is a most beautiful gem, which is not yet very well known to Hebrew-speaking Israelis as a tourist destination.
“For them, Azerbaijan will certainly be a fantastic place for a great vacation, with its legendary hospitality, delicious cuisine, absolutely stunning natural scenery, the Caspian Sea, the nature reserves. Azerbaijan is a place that cannot fail to impress.
“On top of that, there is absolutely no anti-Semitism in Azerbaijan. It is not a problem here to be openly Jewish, to be from Israel. There is no anti-Semitic threat here, which is important to Israeli tourists.
“Similarly, Azerbaijani citizens will be interested in discovering opportunities to visit Israel, a biblical land, a place with a rich historical, cultural, archaeological heritage. Israel means resorts, the sea. It’s a place where you can have a good vacation, and where Azerbaijanis are treated well.
“Even more fantastic news, which came as a nice surprise to me, is that in about a year we plan to open the Azerbaijani embassy in Israel. This is the news we have all been waiting for a very long time, because of the thirty years of diplomatic relations, time-tested friendship, cooperation, and support during the most difficult periods of history. During the two wars Azerbaijan fought in, Israel has always been on Azerbaijan’s side, supporting its territorial integrity, selling weapons, etc.
“And now the Azerbaijani embassy in Israel is about to be opened, which will attest to the mirroring of the diplomatic, friendly process between the two countries.
“We understand that there were reasons why official Baku has not opened an embassy so far—we are very appreciative of this, and we are very much looking forward to the opening of the Azerbaijani diplomatic mission in our country.
“It will certainly help ordinary people and will deepen and strengthen our friendship at the high diplomatic, state level. I welcome it in every way, and I believe that this process will open up opportunities to work together even more, to go forward, to create and implement a vast number of projects in economy, science, medicine, and tourism.
“I think the prospects are tremendous, and this is wonderful.”
It should also be noted that Israeli President Isaac Herzog personally mentioned the opening of the embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the State of Israel.
In his letter to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, he called the opening of the Azerbaijani diplomatic mission a landmark event.
“As we mark this significant landmark in our relations, I hope to see us fulfil an additional milestone, in the opening of the Azerbaijan Embassy in Israel. This will be a natural step succeeding the opening of the Tourism Office and the Trade Representation Office, and an attest to our close and strategic ties.
“I would like to reiterate my invitation to Your Excellency to visit Israel during this upcoming year, so we may jointly inaugurate your new embassy,” Israeli President wrote.
The recent visit of Co-chair of Israel-Azerbaijan Joint Intergovernmental Commission, Minister of Tourism of Israel Yoel Razvozov to Azerbaijan is also significant in this context. Receiving Yoel Razvozov on April 5, President Ilham Aliyev stressed the importance of Azerbaijan’s trade mission and the opening of a tourism center in Israel.
Touching upon economic ties, the head of Azerbaijani state pointed out the importance of cooperation in the energy sector and said that Azerbaijan is one of Israel’s major oil suppliers.
Mentioning the investments being actively made in the renewable energy sector in Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev said that Israeli companies had shown interest in this sector in our country as well, and emphasized that there was good potential for cooperation in this area. Pointing to the experience of Israeli companies in the field of high technology, the head of state said that there are also good opportunities for cooperation in this area.
President Ilham Aliyev praised the involvement of Israeli companies in the restoration and reconstruction work in our liberated territories.
The head of state also brought up the many years of successful cooperation between the two countries in the military and technology fields.
President Ilham Aliyev spoke about the role of our diasporas both in Azerbaijan and Israel in the development of bilateral relations, emphasizing that representatives of the two peoples had coexisted in friendship for centuries. The President also noted that Azerbaijan appreciates the participation and courage of members of the Jewish community in the First and Second Armenia-Azerbaijan wars.
In turn, Yoel Razvozov mentioned the long-standing friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples. He said that Israel appreciates the atmosphere of peace and tranquility the Jewish community enjoys in Azerbaijan, describing it as an exemplary country in this regard.
“Israel has always supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. We welcome the restoration of the territorial integrity of your country. This is very important,” the minister said, expressing his hope that talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan would be successful and contribute to strengthening stability in the region.
Yoel Razvozov emphasized that Israeli companies are interested in cooperation in different fields in the Azerbaijani territories liberated from occupation, including in the field of agriculture, the smart city project, in energy, water supply and other areas.
Describing Azerbaijan as a country with a very good image for business, the Israeli Tourism Minister said that the safe and secure environment for business in our country appeal to Israeli companies.
Thus, the close strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Israel has risen to a new level, which is welcomed by the expert communities of both countries.
Azerbaijani-Israeli relations are an important factor in regional politics, says well-known Azerbaijani expert, head of the “South Caucasus” Political Scientists Club Ilgar Velizade.
“They should not be viewed only in the context of bilateral relations, as these relations have a significant impact on the regional political trends, particularly in the South Caucasus.
“Israel is an active participant in the political dialogue and economic processes in the region. And, of course, Azerbaijan-Israel relations drive the development of relations between Israel and the countries of the South Caucasus.
“I should also say that throughout the history of our bilateral relations, there has never been a crisis in our relations, which indicates a full understanding, including on major issues of the international agenda. Azerbaijan is a state of the Islamic world with which Israel has never had bad relations. And this is a very valuable factor for Israel.
“We know that in recent years many states in the Arab world have shown a steady interest in developing relations with Israel, and this interest is dictated by practical considerations. But 10 years ago, when Israel had complicated relations with the countries of the Islamic world and did not have many partners among these states, Azerbaijan was one of the very few countries friendly to Israel.
“Baku has always acted from a position of international law, its basic principles, we have been united with other Islamic states in our support of the resolutions on Palestine. But it did not damage our relations with Israel because they understood the specifics of Azerbaijan’s position and, in this case, did not insist that Azerbaijan change it.
“At the same time, Israel has always supported the territorial integrity, the sovereignty of Azerbaijan, providing military, technical, economic and security support, which contributed greatly to Azerbaijan’s victory in the 44-day war against Armenia.
“Our relations with Israel are developing steadily today, especially against the backdrop of the thaw in Israel’s relations with the countries of the Islamic world, in particular with its neighbors. The Abraham Accords changed the geopolitical map in the region. In this context, relations between Israel and Azerbaijan have become even more stable, because now it is not only our country that promotes the idea of diversified and mutually beneficial cooperation with Israel, but also other countries of the Islamic world, whose number is constantly growing.
“Also encouraging is the improvement in Israel-Turkey relations.
“Against this backdrop of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the development of economic ties between Israel and various Islamic states, of course, the need to open the Azerbaijani embassy in Israel comes to the forefront.
“If Turkey and Egypt have diplomatic missions in Israel, if a number of Arab states have already started active efforts towards establishment of their diplomatic missions there, then of course Azerbaijan, who has been cooperating with Israel longer and more deeply than many of these countries, can of course also consider opening its embassy in Israel.
“This would give an additional impetus to our relations. Suffice it to say that trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Israel exceeds $1 billion. And this is not the limit: the parties are considering at least doubling the trade turnover.
“The recent visit of Yoel Razvozov, Minister of Tourism and Co-Chair of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission, to Azerbaijan shows that there are great prospects for the development of relations in the field of tourism. The agreement on the opening of flights, the active involvement of Israeli companies in projects to restore the liberated territories of Azerbaijan are encouraging. One international airport has been built in the liberated lands to date, and two more will be built. And of course, Israeli tourists can be among the active travelers to the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions.
“The parties also aim today to develop economic relations in specific sectors. It is very important for Azerbaijan, and it will further boost development in the non-oil sector. In particular, Israeli technologies in agriculture are very interesting.
“Today Azerbaijan is actively considering the use of energy-saving, water-saving technologies in the economy, agriculture, and Israeli companies demonstrate their readiness to help with this.
“In general, a very diverse and practical cooperation has been established between our two countries in all areas: in science, in culture, in education, in medicine, in the military industry.
“And I believe that in this new environment, when Azerbaijan is actively restoring its liberated territories, when it is shaping the post-conflict agenda, Israel could certainly be one of Azerbaijan’s friends who will be actively involved in all these projects.”
Farida Bagirova
Translated from 1news.az
