Azerbaijan & Israel

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Next week the foreign minister of Azerbaijan will visit Israel for 3 full days. This is a significant diplomatic event on many levels.

It is significant in that Azerbaijan is a Muslim nation. 95% of Azerbaijan is Muslim. Of that 95%, 85% are Shiites and 15% are Sunnis. Azerbaijan has the second largest population of Shiite Muslims after Iran. They have more Shiite Muslims than Iraq.

Another positive, significant element is that Azerbaijan is the 20th largest producer of oil in the world. The country is in the top 10 in untapped reserves.

Until now Israel and Azerbaijan have had a wonderful relationship, albeit at a relatively low level. There is great potential here. The mutual benefits and exchanges that can emerge from this relationship can and should extend to economic, technological and military arenas.

I have saved the best for last. The most significant element of the visit is this: Azerbaijan borders Iran's northern limits. Israel has on several occasions run air force maneuvers in Azerbaijan. And a significant part of the native language spoken in northern Iran is - Azerbaijani.
Azerbaijan has access to Iran the likes of which no other country has.

Imagine: one of Israel's up and coming friends is a Shiite Muslim country. That is revolutionary. And it is very useful.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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