AJC Salutes Opening of Azerbaijan Diplomatic Post in Israel

NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes the opening today of the Azerbaijan Trade Representative Office in Tel Aviv, the first Azerbaijani diplomatic representation in Israel. Azerbaijan Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov led an Azerbaijani delegation to Israel for the official opening of the office, and meetings with Israeli trade and tourism officials. Azerbaijan and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1992.

"Azerbaijan, a predominantly Shiite Muslim country, is a strategic partner for Israel and the U.S.," said AJC CEO David Harris, who has visited Baku many times and received the "Dostlug" Order of Friendship, one of the country's highest honors, in 2012. "The Azerbaijan trade mission in Israel will further strengthen the extensive cooperation between the two countries, and, hopefully, lead to the opening of Azerbaijan's embassy in Israel, to complement Israel's embassy in Baku."

AJC, the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, maintains close contact with Azerbaijan through its offices across the U.S., Europe, and other locations. AJC delegations have visited Baku annually, and met with senior Azerbaijani officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly every fall.

"AJC may well have been the pioneers in creating ties to Azerbaijan," Prime Minister Netanyahu told the 2019 AJC Global Forum. He praised "AJC for the work that you did, making a lot of connections that we needed when we didn't have the kind of open channels that we have today."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee