The Azerbaijani side expressed satisfaction with the establishment of full diplomatic relations, noting the significance of this action for the development of mutually beneficial equal contacts between sovereign states and strengthening the relations between the peoples of Azerbaijan and Israel.
Long before this, in January 1990, the aspirations of the Azerbaijani and Jewish peoples to establish close ties led to the creation of the “Azerbaijan-Israel” society in Baku. Then, in 1991, at the initiative of the Jewish community of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani diaspora in Israel, the Azerbaijani branch of the World Jewish Organization “Sokhnut” was established in Baku. It was then, at the initiative of the “Azerbaijan-Israel” society, that the first negotiations about the need to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries took place at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in 1991.
In early March 1994, an Azerbaijani government delegation visited Israel. The delegation was received by the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) Shevach Weiss, during which meeting the cooperation of the two states at the parliamentary level was discussed. The Azerbaijani side was acquainted with the structure of the Israeli parliament, the activities of the foreign affairs and defense committee, and also participated in a plenary session of the Knesset. The meetings also emphasized the importance of developing and deepening contacts in economic, cultural, and other areas.
The next step in the relations between the two states was the visit on January 12, 1995, to Azerbaijan by representatives of the Jewish organization “Agudat Israel” – the CIS countries’ leader Fischer and the financial manager Rothschild. The meeting discussed the prospects for the development of bilateral relations. Another milestone in the history of bilateral cooperation was the signing on March 9, 1995, during the visit to Azerbaijan of the Israeli Minister of Health Ephraim Sneh, of the “Agreement between the governments of the Azerbaijan Republic and the State of Israel on cooperation in the field of health and medicine.” From August 2-5 of the same year, a delegation of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by the Head of the Department for the Caucasus and Central Asia S. Mir, visited Baku, holding a series of official meetings with the leadership of the Azerbaijani foreign policy department, which served as an important impetus for elevating the relationship between the two states to a higher, more qualitative level.
In the structure of bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel, the relationships between entrepreneurs of both countries deserve special attention. Thus, at the beginning of 1995, the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations of Azerbaijan organized cooperation between the state concern “Azergushsanae” and the well-known Israeli poultry company “Tekons.” After negotiations, a project was prepared that envisaged the reconstruction of the capacities of the specified Azerbaijani enterprises and the increase of production up to 30,000 tons per year. This project, planned for five years, was supposed to provide 85% of the industry with local feeds. From its side, the Israeli company undertook to introduce new technologies into Azerbaijani enterprises and to increase their productivity.
In January 1996, a delegation from the Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce and Industry visited Tel Aviv. The special role played by the Association of New Entrepreneurs of Israel, which assisted Azerbaijani businessmen in establishing new contacts, was emphasized. During the stay of the Azerbaijani delegation, meetings were also organized with “Russian” and local Israeli businessmen. In particular, several joint technological projects, including the production and mutual supply of food, petrochemical products, etc., were discussed in one of Israel’s largest firms.
The cooperation between the two states also achieved certain successes in the field of culture. One of the bright and solemn events in the cultural life of Azerbaijan was the concert held in Baku in May 1996, organized by the Israeli Information Center in honor of the 3000th anniversary of Jerusalem and the 48th anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel. The Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, celebrated in the republic in September 1996, also remained in the memory of most Azerbaijanis for a long time. In October of the same year, a concert of the Jewish choir “Atikva” dedicated to the choir’s 5th anniversary, founded in 1991 at the initiative of the Azerbaijani representation of the World Jewish Agency “Sokhnut,” took place in Baku, in the chamber and organ music hall of Azgosphilharmony.
An example that demonstrates the broad possibilities for establishing friendly relations between the Azerbaijani and Jewish peoples was the meeting in June 1996 of Heydar Aliyev with the leaders of the Jewish community of Canada, during which the head of the Azerbaijani state talked about the long-standing ties with the Jewish people, highly appreciated the merits of its representatives in the development of science, culture, health care, and expressed hope for further strengthening of friendly relations between the two peoples. On their part, Canadian businessmen promised to contribute to the development of Azerbaijan’s economy, which had embarked on the path of market relations, by investing in various sectors.
Giving important significance in the socio-political life of the republic to cooperation with the World Jewish Agency “Sokhnut,” President Heydar Aliyev met on August 1, 1996, with the Chairman of the Board of Directors of “Sokhnut” Avraham Burg. During the meeting, the President noted that the agency “Sokhnut” is known worldwide for its charitable deeds, and the republic respects this organization. The leader of Azerbaijan also emphasized that Jews living in Azerbaijan actively participate in the socio-economic and cultural life of the country. In turn, A. Burg spoke about meetings with representatives of the Jewish community in Baku, Guba, and Oguz districts of the republic and positively assessed the role of Jews living in the republic, who act as a bridge in strengthening the ties between Israel and Azerbaijan.
It should be said that from the point of view of the socio-political development of bilateral relations, 1997 turned out to be more fruitful. The appointment of Arkady Milman as the new ambassador of Israel to Azerbaijan and the presentation of his credentials to President Heydar Aliyev marked the beginning of a new activation in the history of relations between the two states, and it was from this period that the activity of the Israeli embassy in various areas of the socio-political life of the republic became more noticeable.
A certain place in the structure of bilateral cooperation is occupied by the holding of various kinds of international seminars and youth meetings. Thus, from January 12 to February 13, 1997, a seminar for listeners of international courses on the preparation and use of information banks on agrometeorology took place in the Israeli city of Beit Dagan. From January 8 to April 4, in Israel, the Center for International Relations “Masav,” within the framework of the technical cooperation program, organized international courses. From April 13 to 16, a meeting of student coordinators and activists of the “Amishav” club with the coordinator of the student department of the Jerusalem branch of “Sokhnut” Roman Gur-Elem took place in Baku, during which issues of organization and activity of student clubs, as well as the holding of the next student seminar in Azerbaijan, were discussed. From May 1 to 5, a joint seminar of Aliyah coordinators and teachers for workers of the Azerbaijani and Georgian branches of “Sokhnut” took place in Baku, in which representatives of Israel also participated, as well as a regional seminar of Hebrew teachers of the Caucasus.
From May 20-22, 1997, Professor Yaakov Landau of the Jerusalem University visited Baku, giving lectures at the Baku State and Azerbaijan Pedagogical Universities, as well as at the Institutes of Linguistics and Literature. From June 9-12, at the initiative of the Israeli embassy, the vice-president of the firm “Magam” Dani Paizen, specializing in the production of modern military security systems, was invited to Baku. During the visit, a meeting was held with the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Safar Abiyev. From June 16-19 of the same year, a visit to Azerbaijan was made by the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Relations with Eastern Europe and the CIS of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nathan Sharon and the head of the 3rd Department of Eastern Europe of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ambassador of Israel to Turkmenistan Shmuel Shibr.
On June 23, 1997, an official delegation of leaders of Jewish communities from several countries of America, Europe, Africa, and the World Jewish Agency “Sokhnut” arrived in Azerbaijan. As stated by the head of the “Sokhnut” representation in the Caucasus David Nir, “Azerbaijan was chosen for the visit not by chance. Azerbaijan has always been distinguished by extraordinary religious tolerance, thanks to which the Jewish population of the republic has lived in friendship and harmony with the indigenous and other nationalities for centuries.” A certain role in strengthening and developing cooperation between the two states was played by the short visit on August 29, 1997, to Azerbaijan by the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, returning from a trip to the countries of Southeast Asia. During the visit, a meeting of the Israeli prime minister with the President of Azerbaijan took place, during which issues of the regional political situation, including the further development of bilateral relations, were discussed.
In June 1998, a photo exhibition dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the formation of the state of Israel took place in the building of the “Khazar” University in Baku. In July, the photo exhibition was held in the Guba district of Azerbaijan. From October 27-31 of the same year, days of Israeli cinema were held at the “Nizami” cinema in Baku. On January 11-12, 1999, a delegation of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by the Deputy Director-General of the department for the CIS, Central, and Eastern Europe Shimon Stein, visited Azerbaijan. Within the framework of the visit, the first round of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and Israel took place, and a document on issues of bilateral cooperation was adopted, which reflected such important aspects as: strengthening of political and economic ties, conditions of living in Azerbaijan of the Jewish population, cooperation within the UN, the problem of resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, the situation in the Middle East, etc.
During the visit from August 22-24, 1999, of the Israeli parliamentary delegation to Baku, meetings were held with the speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, the Prime Minister, and representatives of the Jewish community of the Guba district.
