Early years On 18 October 1991, the declaration of the Parliament of Azerbaijan restored the country's independence, and in November 1991 Turkey became the first state to formally recognise it. On 25 December 1991, Israel formally recognised the independence of Azerbaijan, becoming one of the first states to do so, and established diplomatic relations with the country on 7 April 1992. Azerbaijan is home to some 30,000
Jews, residing primarily in
Baku and the
Qırmızı Qəsəbə settlement in the
Quba district of
Azerbaijan.
Mountain Jews have been living in
Azerbaijan for close to 1,500 years; they are the descendants of
Persian Jews. During the conquest by the
Islamic Caliphate, Arabs settled an allied Jewish tribe in the neighbourhoods of
Baku; in 1730, Jews were officially allowed the right of residence and property ownership in Quba. There are also nearly 5,000
Ashkenazi Jews living mostly in
Baku. The first Jewish
Sochnut school in the Soviet Union was opened in 1982 in
Baku, then capital of
Azerbaijan SSR. By 1998, internal documents of Israel’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs identified Azerbaijan as a “key state” in the region, emphasising its strategic importance to Israel’s regional policy. In 2009, Israeli President
Shimon Peres made a visit to Azerbaijan where military relations were expanded further, with the Israeli company
Aeronautics Defense Systems Ltd announcing it would build a factory in
Baku. Azerbaijan was visited by David Harris, executive director of the
American Jewish Committee, in July 2010, shortly after the visit of
Hillary Clinton to Baku. During the reception, Harris referred to Azerbaijan's cultural, strategic and political importance. In 2010, President
Aliyev issued a decree banning the issue of visas at the country's international airports; foreigners henceforth had to apply for visas at the nearest Azerbaijani consulate. Israel and Turkey were the only two countries whose citizens were unaffected by the new law. In 2016, Israel's Defence Minister
Avigdor Lieberman supported the position of Azerbaijan in the
2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, calling it "absolutely justified". Furthermore, Lieberman held
Armenia responsible for provoking the conflict in April 2016. A delegation of the
World Jewish Congress visited Azerbaijan in September 2016; during the talks with President Aliyev emphasis was put on "excellent" relations with
Israel and the
Jewish community. and Azerbaijan's President
Ilham Aliyev in Baku, December 2016 In December 2016, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu paid an official visit to Baku. During the visit he emphasized that "Israel and Azerbaijan enjoy an excellent relationship and warm friendship". During the visit Netanyahu visited the
Alley of Martyrs and paid tribute to Azerbaijani heroes. He also visited the
Ohr Avner Chabad Day School, met with the local Jewish community and gave a speech before students. Press statements made by the President Aliyev and Prime Minister Netanyahu also showed satisfaction with bilateral cooperation. Later that month, the Azerbaijan-Israel intergovernmental agreement on air communication was signed. In December 2016, Israeli journalist Alexander Lapshin was arrested in Belarus at the request of Azerbaijan due to his visit to Nagorno-Karabakh. Despite protests from Israel, the Council of Europe, the UN Human Rights Committee and human rights organizations, Lapshin was extradited to Azerbaijan. By decision of the Baku criminal court he was sentenced to 3 years in prison. Immediately after the trial, under unclear circumstances, the journalist was assaulted by fellow inmates in prison, as a result of which he was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Immediately after this incident, the President of Azerbaijan issued a decree pardoning the convicted Israeli. Later, by a decision of the European Court of Human Rights dated May 21, 2021, the Azerbaijani authorities were found guilty of illegal arrest, cruel torture and organizing an attempted murder against Lapshin. Azerbaijan was visited by John Shapiro, executive director of the
American Jewish Committee, in January 2017, shortly after the visit of
Benjamin Netanyahu to Baku. During the reception, Shapiro said that constructive partnership between Azerbaijan, United States, and Israel has a big significance. In 2017, an
Azerbaijani laundromat money-laundering scheme organized by Azerbaijan was uncovered, revealing that, between 2012 and 2014, Azerbaijan created a
slush fund of $2.9 billion used to bribe European and American politicians, journalists, lawmakers, and academics to lobby for Azerbaijani interests abroad. One of the primary agendas of the laundromat was to portray Azerbaijan as "a role model for multicultural tolerance". In particular, Israeli and Jewish organizations in the United States and Europe were used to present Azerbaijan as "a trusted Muslim partner of Israel and the Jewish people". German and French lobbyists bribed by the laundromat frequently sought to portray Azerbaijan as a friend of Israel. The
Podesta Group, an American lobbying firm paid $60,000 per month by the Azerbaijani government, contacted pro-Israel groups such as
AIPAC and
JINSA on behalf of Azerbaijan. April 2017 marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Israel and Azerbaijan. A congratulatory letter to the President of Azerbaijan
Ilham Aliyev from the Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu included:Israel is proud to have been one of the first nations to recognize the independent Republic of Azerbaijan. In the quarter-century since, our countries have built a solid relationship based on genuine friendship between the Jewish and Azerbaijani peoples. ... Azerbaijan is a model of inter-faith and multicultural harmony in an area fraught with religious and ethnic rivalries. Like you, Israel is a beacon of stability and tolerance in an unstable region. Despite the challenges we face, we have both succeeded in creating thriving economies and vibrant, prosperous and peace-seeking societies.Israeli–Azerbaijani ties strengthened since the very early 1990s. The strategic relationship included cooperation in trade and security matters, cultural and educational exchanges, etc. Relations entered a new phase in August 1997 during the visit of the then Israeli prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu to Baku. Since then Israel has been developing closer ties with Azerbaijan and has helped modernize the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. The Israeli military has been a major provider of battlefield aviation, artillery, anti-tank, and anti-infantry weaponry to Azerbaijan. In March 2017, several regional tours were made by the Israeli envoy to Azerbaijan to deepen economic cooperation in the spheres of economy, agriculture, and tourism: Azerbaijan and Israel abolished
double taxation between the two countries in April 2017. During his speech at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly on September 19, 2017, Netanyahu mentioned the expansion of cooperation between the two countries. In January 2019, the
State Border Service of Azerbaijan purchased SkyStriker kamikazes from Israel's
Elbit Systems. Azerbaijan became the first foreign buyer of SkyStrikers. During the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war with
Armenia, Azerbaijan deployed Israeli-made weapons on Armenian targets. In March 2023 Azerbaijan opened its embassy in Israel. In February 2024, Azerbaijani President Aliyev met with Israeli President Herzog, reaffirming bilateral relations between Israel and Azerbaijan amid the ongoing
Gaza war. Azerbaijan is a
major oil supplier to Israel and has resisted pressure to cut ties with Israel over the Gaza war. In January 2026, Israeli and Azerbaijani officials met in
Baku to discuss ongoing cooperation in digital development and transport. The meeting involved Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Samir Mammadov and Israeli Ambassador
Ronen Krausz, who reviewed progress since the fourth session of the bilateral joint commission held in November 2025. During the talks, the sides exchanged updates on existing cooperation projects, including the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center and the Vistar Center of Excellence established with Israeli partners in the
aerospace and
technology sectors. ==Security relations==