Israeli foreign minister praises relations with Azerbaijan

Avigdor Lieberman, Israeli Vice Premier and Foreign Minister, has met Azerbaijani officials in Baku today. The minister praised Israeli-Azerbaijani relations and their systematic development. He visited the Center for Studies of Israel and the Middle East of the Baku University for Foreign Languages and noted advanced studies of Hebrew.

Lieberman met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and reminded him that he had visited Baku before. The sides exchanged views on development of ties in various spheres.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met Lieberman and discussed improvement of relations. The Israeli foreign minister emphasized that Azerbaijan has made significant economic achievements acknowledged by other states.
Lieberman expressed satisfaction with Azerbaijani membership in the UN Security Council. Mammadyarov described problems of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and measures for its peaceful resolution.
Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Israel reached $4 billion. Lieberman reminded that he discussed the Iranian problem with Aliyev and Mammadyarov as well. He added that hosting the Eurovision Song Contest is an essential achievement of Azerbaijan. Lieberman also commented on information around plans by Israel to build military bases in Azerbaijan. He said that such rumours are false.
Political analyst Fikret Sadykhov, a professor of the Western University of Baku, told Vestnik Kavkaza that Lieberman is visiting Azerbaijan to mark the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Rumours are being caused by tensions in Iran, but they have no grounds. Azerbaijan is opposed to a military solution of the Iranian nuclear program. Despite good diplomatic ties, Azerbaijan has not opened a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.