<p>Azerbaijan has finally decided to open an embassy in Israel following a parliamentary approval on Friday and will thus become the first Shi’ite Muslim-majority state to do so. The news comes amid increasingly strained ties between Azerbaijan and Iran, Israel’s longtime nemesis.</p>

<p>Azerbaijan already has a tourism office and a trade representative office in Israeli capital Tel Aviv where it will open its embassy also, reported the Jerusalem Post.&nbsp;<br />
Israel and Azerbaijan have relations for 30 years, and there has been an Israeli embassy in Baku since 1993.&nbsp;<br />
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Prime Minister Yair Lapid praised the decision, calling Azerbaijan “an important partner of Israel and home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the Muslim world.”<br />
“The decision to open an embassy reflects the depth of the relations between the countries. This move is the fruit of efforts by the Israeli government to build strong diplomatic bridges with the Muslim world,” he added.<br />
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<strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/armenia-azerbaijan-conflict-history-and-a-way-forward-530588">Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict- History and a way forward</a></strong><br />
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Arzu Naghiyev, a member of Azerbaijan-Israel parliamentary friendship group, had last month referred to Iran opening an additional consulate and declaring close ties with Armenia, with which Azerbaijan fought a war in 2020, and had hinted at opening an embassy in Tel Aviv.<br />
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Iran opened the consulate in Kapan, in southern Armenia near the borders with Iran and Azerbaijan’s Zangilan region, which was among the territories Azerbaijan retook during its 2020 war with Armenia.</p>

<p>WATCH |&nbsp;Explained: The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict; How the world reacted &amp; what is India’s stand?</p>

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<p>Iran and Azerbaijan share a 420-mile border, and there have been several speculations that Israel launched covert operations in Iran from its northern neighbour.&nbsp;<br />
Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian even accused Israel of having “established its presence in Azerbaijan”.<br />
<br />
Iran had staged military drills along the border following which Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev got himself photographed with Israeli Harop kamikaze drones produced in his country. Tehran has held more military drills on the border in recent weeks.<br />
<br />
Azerbaijan had been hesitant to open an embassy in the past, as it did not want to ruffle other Muslim-majority states or provoking Iran.<br />
<br />
Israel and Azerbaijan have close defence ties as Jerusalem supplied drones to Baku, which were used in its war against Armenia. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute found that 69% of Azerbaijan’s arms imports in 2016-2020 came from Israel while about 40% of petroleum imported to Israel comes from Azerbaijan.</p>

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Azerbaijan has finally decided to open an embassy in Israel following a parliamentary approval on Friday and will thus become the first Shi’ite Muslim-majority state to do so.

Azerbaijan has finally decided to open an embassy in Israel following a parliamentary approval on Friday and will thus become the first Shi’ite Muslim-majority state to do so. The news comes amid increasingly strained ties between Azerbaijan and Iran, Israel’s longtime nemesis. Azerbaijan already has a tourism office and a trade representative office in Israeli capital Tel Aviv where it will open its embassy also, reported the Jerusalem Post. Israel and Azerbaijan have relations for 30 years, and there has been an Israeli embassy in Baku since 1993. Prime Minister Yair Lapid praised the decision, calling Azerbaijan “an important partner of Israel and home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the Muslim world.” “The decision to open an embassy reflects the depth of the relations between the countries. This move is the fruit of efforts by the Israeli government to build strong diplomatic bridges with the Muslim world,” he added. ALSO READ | Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict- History and a way forward Arzu Naghiyev, a member of Azerbaijan-Israel parliamentary friendship group, had last month referred to Iran opening an additional consulate and declaring close ties with Armenia, with which Azerbaijan fought a war in 2020, and had hinted at opening an embassy in Tel Aviv. Iran opened the consulate in Kapan, in southern Armenia near the borders with Iran and Azerbaijan’s Zangilan region, which was among the territories Azerbaijan retook during its 2020 war with Armenia. WATCH | Explained: The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict; How the world reacted & what is India’s stand? × Iran and Azerbaijan share a 420-mile border, and there have been several speculations that Israel launched covert operations in Iran from its northern neighbour. Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian even accused Israel of having “established its presence in Azerbaijan”. Iran had staged military drills along the border following which Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev got himself photographed with Israeli Harop kamikaze drones produced in his country. Tehran has held more military drills on the border in recent weeks. Azerbaijan had been hesitant to open an embassy in the past, as it did not want to ruffle other Muslim-majority states or provoking Iran. Israel and Azerbaijan have close defence ties as Jerusalem supplied drones to Baku, which were used in its war against Armenia. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute found that 69% of Azerbaijan’s arms imports in 2016-2020 came from Israel while about 40% of petroleum imported to Israel comes from Azerbaijan. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Azerbaijan to open embassy in Israel, will be first Shi'ite Muslim country to do so

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