BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 13. Washington should take lessons from Israel’s successful cooperation with Azerbaijan to strengthen its ties with the country and enhance its influence in Central Asia, wrote the founder and director of the Dona Gracia Center for Diplomacy, political analyst, and journalist, Rachel Avraham, Trend reports.
In an article published in Israel's popular outlet, Israel National News, citing the prominent U.S. think tank Atlantic Council, Avraham highlights the strategic importance of Azerbaijan’s role in expanding the Abraham Accords and fostering regional cooperation.
"Such a relationship could significantly benefit the US as the region holds vast mineral and energy resources and serves as a key transit route from Asia to Europe, bypassing Russia and Iran through the Central Corridor," it reads.
The article, titled "Azerbaijan and the Expansion of the Abraham Accords," also highlighted the recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The discussions focused on the continuation and expansion of bilateral cooperation, particularly Azerbaijan’s potential accession to the "Abraham Accords," a platform for peace and collaboration in the Middle East.
Avraham emphasizes that Azerbaijan has been Israel’s most reliable partner in the Muslim world over the past three decades, underscoring its strategic importance to regional security. She also references a recent study by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, titled "How to Effectively Engage Azerbaijan in Trump's Regional Plans and Israel's Interests: Practical Recommendations," which was recently published. The study argues that Israel and pro-Israel forces in the United States should actively support Azerbaijan's inclusion in American-Israeli regional partnerships for development, investments, and technology cooperation.
The article also highlighted that since the signing of the "Abraham Accords" in 2020, Israel has been fostering cooperation with Morocco, Bahrain, and the UAE. Recently, the Jewish state initiated trilateral cooperation with Morocco and the United States in defense, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. The goal is to expand this collaboration to include Gulf countries with existing ties to Israel. The author suggests that if Israel broadens its partnership with the Muslim world under the "Abraham Accords" to include Azerbaijan, it could positively influence the stance of other Muslim nations toward the initiative. This, in turn, would play a pivotal role in advancing peace and stability in the region.
"No country is more fitting than Azerbaijan, a Muslim country with unique historical ties to Israel and the Jewish people, to join the collaborations stemming from the Abraham Accords and additionally to join the effort to expand the Abraham Accords to other Muslim countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Azerbaijan can advise Israel on how to navigate interactions with various actors in these regions as the accords expand. One must not forget that Azerbaijan has always remained loyal to Israel, even during times when this was diplomatically difficult," the author concluded.
For a detailed read, the full article is available at this link: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/404924.
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