Yesterday, the ex-Foreign Minister, the leader of the conservative party "Our Home - Israel" and the head of the inter-parliamentary group Israel-Azerbaijan, Avigdor Lieberman, was appointed to the post of the Minister of Defense of Israel. Lieberman was one of those who laid the foundations of friendly relations between the two independent states of Israel and Azerbaijan. Among the high-level government officials of Israel, he was one of the first to visit Azerbaijan, meet the leadership of the republic, and then he proposed measures on the development and improvement of multi-vector and mutually beneficial relations between the two countries. Since the time he began being appointed to high posts, Avigdor Lieberman has supported the policy of Azerbaijan in a variety of issues – whether topical geopolitical issues or issues of an economic, military-industrial, or humanitarian nature.
Azerbaijan and Israel have a lot of common features: they are ancient nations, but young states; they have common democratic values, and they are in hostile and unstable environments; many ethnic groups are living side by side in these countries. Both countries have to fight against prejudice and hostile propaganda campaigns. The Azerbaijani-Israeli partnership covers many areas – energy, security, defense, agriculture, trade – but it is also characterized by an important human factor – a huge Jewish community lives in Azerbaijan.
Jews in Azerbaijan have never experienced persecutions on an ethnic or a religious basis, and the state provides them with all the conditions for free development. The Jewish community of Azerbaijan, which numbers about 30,000 people, is seen as an example of how all the world's religious communities, including representatives of Judaism, are living in harmony in a secular country with a majority Muslim Shiite population, and which borders Iran. The country has seven synagogues, two of them are in Baku and three in Guba, the old city in the north-eastern part of the country, also known as the Caucasian Jerusalem, where the Jewish population, the so-called Mountain Jews live. This is the only Jewish city outside of Israel in the world. A new Jewish museum is currently being built in Guba with the financial support of the state.
According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the trade turnover with Israel in January-April of 2016 amounted to nearly 138.7 million dollars, of which 135.5 million dollars came from export to this country. Israel buys Azerbaijani oil and Azerbaijan is interested in Israel's technologies, scientific and medical innovations and import of military production. Baku-Tel Aviv flights are carried out twice a week. The Azerbaijani-Israeli inter-parliamentary group and the ADA University in Baku, which received former President of Israel Shimon Peres, are operating. The ADA University carries out student exchanges with the University of Haifa.
Israel's Declaration of Independence was signed in May 1948. Exactly 30 years before that, in 1918, the signing of Azerbaijan's Declaration of Independence was held. Several events prepared by the International Association Israel-Azerbaijan, 'AZIZ', were dedicated to these two of the most important events in the fates of the two friendly states. First, Tel Aviv-Jaffa hosted the opening of a grand exhibition of works by forty Israeli artists and sculptors, the fate of each of them was connected with Azerbaijan in one way or another. Then, in the Nesher Palace of Culture, located in the north of the country near Haifa, a huge gala concert was held. Peace, tranquility, tolerance and friendship between nations are the main principles of existence for Israel and Azerbaijan, so songs and dances of different communities were included in the festival's program.
In their welcoming speeches, all the distinguished guests – Knesset deputy Robert Ilatov (NDI), Mayor of Nesher Avi Binamo, the head of the city department of absorption Emin Tchaikovsky, director general of the 'AZIZ' Association Lev Spivak – spoke about the friendship of peoples, the need to establish peace and understanding.
All of their speeches came down to the following: "No matter what policy our neighbors carry out, we want to live in a world of democracy and tolerance, and we will protect this world in every possible way." A concert was held after the official part. This evening broke all records by the number of languages heatd from the stage: Hebrew changed to English, Azerbaijani followed after Russian, Mountain-Jewish, French, Turkish ... The audience, many of whom were born and raised in Azerbaijan, gladly listened to songs in Yemeni and performances in Yiddish. Maya Smirnova, Lyuba Babis, Maxim Levinsky, Herman Orlov, Tomer Aliyev, Konstantin Kalinin, Monica Rabaeva, young dancers Yuri and Evelen, as well as the winner of international competitions, the Caucasian dance ensemble 'Bereket', performed on the stage this evening. Singer Elman Aliyev (Elik of Istanbul) came specially from Turkey to participate in this concert. Famous representatives of natives of Azerbaijan in Israel, David Kon and Alona Brener, hosted the concert.
The event was organized by the municipality of Nesher, the local department of the Ministry of Absorption and the International Association Israel-Azerbaijan 'AZIZ', with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the STMEGI Fund.
