News.Az interviews Yevda Abramov, chief of interparliamentary group of friendship Azerbaijan-Israel, Azerbaijani parliament deputy.
Israeli FM is expected to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan next week. Which role will this event play in the development of bilateral ties between our countries?
Certainly, when a country is visited by a senior official of another country, this contributes to the development of the bilateral interstate relations. As is known, Israeli President Shimon Peres paid an official visit to Azerbaijan in 2009 while the second senior official, foreign minister and first vice premier of the Israeli state Avigdor Lieberman will arrive in Baku today. His visit conducted at the invitation of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry will be held on February 9-11. Probably, this visit will focus on the serious discussion of important regional problems concerning both Azerbaijan and Israel. As far as I know, during the visit to our country Avigdor Lieberman will have meetings with the leaders of the Jewish community of Azerbaijan to pay attention to the participation of the Jews residing here in the sociopolitical processes and their living conditions.
Certainly, such visits are extremely important. Today they are very important for both countries. I would like to note that peoples residing in Azerbaijan accepted the incident between the Turkish and Israeli leaders last year and the debate around the new series of the Turkish Gurtlar Vadisi ambiguously. I think a wide range of issues of the Azerbaijani-Israeli and Turkish-Israeli relations will be widely discussed on the level of the foreign ministries again. Special attention will be paid to Tel-Aviv’s policy in the Middle East and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas is also expected to visit Azerbaijan, according to mass media. Wide discussions will be held around this issue.
Naturally, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry will raise the Karabakh issue too. The policy of the Israeli state in this issue is quite clear. Israel is among the countries supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and speaking for the peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict on the basis of mutually profitable solution. But despite this, I dare suppose that the recent events in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, in particular, the recent meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Russia is probably the focus of attention of the Israeli diplomats and these issues will be largely discussed.
You are chairing the interparliamentary group of Azerbaijan-Israel friendship and in this connection you probably have information about which documents can be signed during the visit of the Israeli FM to Baku…
Yes, I often visit Israel at the invitation of the nongovernmental organizations by the line of the interparliamentary group. I would like to say that peoples residing in Israel and Azerbaijani residents that are well familiar with the history of the Israeli people speak for strengthening friendship between our two states.
As for signing any agreements, I do not have the idea about the documents that Mr.Lieberman will carry to Baku. But, I think that, probably, by results of the bilateral meeting the ministers will sign a joint declaration. The bilateral agreements signed during Israeli president’s visit to Azerbaijan have undoubtedly influenced the development of cooperation between our countries and different structures. Certainly, the current visit and the meeting of the foreign ministers will leave their trace in the development of bilateral relations, a document will be signed but I find it difficult to specify the aspects and the sphere it will cover.
Which achievements have there been in the relations between Baku and Tel-Aviv since the last-year’s visit of the Israeli president?
Certainly, there are such achievements. Primarily, I would like to say that no leader of the Palestinian state has ever arrived in Azerbaijan before, while now Mahmud Abbas is preparing to visit Baku. He will probably come for a good reason. I think, Azerbaijan’s role in this issue may intensify, therefore, making use of its friendship with Tel-Aviv, Baku may assume the role of the third party. Israel is also interested in Azerbaijan’s active involvement in the settlement of many issues, because Baku’s influence in the region has grown dramatically. Today, there are many issues that cannot be settled without Azerbaijan’s participation.
In addition, a serious agreement has recently been signed in Khachmaz. The construction of a big vegetable complex has been invested $30 mln. It will involve English, Israeli and Azerbaijan businessmen in the issue of ready production packing and its sale. Today, the Israeli specialists are laying a long section of the Ganja highway. That is we observe the development of both political and economic ties. Today Tel-Aviv is interested in laying gas pipelines. Thus, Israeli Infrastructure Minister Beniamin ben-Elizer has once offered to lay a gas pipe via Turkey to the Red Sea. Probably, these issues will be discussed by the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Israel. Certainly, there are positive achievements.
Leyla Tagiyeva
News.Az