[1] Azerbaijan is one of the majority Muslim countries, alongside Turkey, Egypt, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kosovo, Morocco, Albania, and some other former Soviet republics to develop bilateral, strategic and economic relations with Israel.

[3] Additionally, Azerbaijan serves as Israel’s most significant partner among Muslim-majority nations, with both countries maintaining strong cooperation in defense, intelligence, and trade.

[5][6] On October 18, 1991, the declaration of the Parliament of Azerbaijan restored the country's independence, and in November 1991 Turkey became the first state to formally recognize it.

[7] On December 25, 1991, Israel formally recognized the independence of Azerbaijan,[8] becoming one of the first states to do so, and established diplomatic relations with the country on April 7, 1992.

[4] According to a 2009 leaked U.S. diplomatic cable, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev once compared his country's relationship with Israel to an iceberg: "Nine-tenths of it is below the surface.

[15] In 2016, Israel's Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman supported the position of Azerbaijan in the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, calling it "absolutely justified".

[20] He also visited the Ohr Avner Chabad Day School, met with the local Jewish community and gave a speech before students.

[21][22] Press statements made by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also showed satisfaction with the bilateral cooperation of the two countries.

[25] In December 2016, Israeli journalist Alexander Lapshin was arrested in Belarus at the request of Azerbaijan due to his visit to Nagorno-Karabakh.

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.

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.

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.

[39] In January 2019, the State Border Service of Azerbaijan purchased SkyStriker kamikazes from Israel's Elbit Systems.

[44] Following an October 2001 meeting with Israeli ambassador Eitan Naeh, Azerbaijan's then-president Heydar Aliyev declared that the two countries had identical positions in the fight against international terrorism.

[47] Local police narrowly averted the potential disaster, which involved placing three or four car bombs around the high-rise complex to carry out the attack.

[48] The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies has identified Azerbaijan as a key pillar of Israel's regional security framework.

The center noted that Azerbaijan's long-standing partnership with Israel could play an important role in expanding the Abraham Accords to include additional Muslim-majority countries during potential future U.S.

[49] In February 2012, Iran rebuked Azerbaijan for allegedly aiding anti-Iranian activities by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.

stated that Israel was granted access to air bases in Azerbaijan through a "series of quiet political and military understandings."

[53][54] On September 30, 2012, it was reported that Azerbaijan and Israel jointly examined the use of Azerbaijani air bases and spy drones to help Israeli jets perform a long-range strike on Iran.

[56] According to media reports, Azerbaijan was allegedly the final destination of thousands of top secret documents regarding Iran's nuclear weapons program stolen during a January 2018 covert operation carried out by Mossad agents on a warehouse on the southern outskirts of Tehran.

[59] In 2023, the two countries signed a deal for Israel to supply Azerbaijan with two satellites for $120 million[60] as well as purchase the "Barak MX" missile interception system for $1.2 billion.

Another company, Bakcell, was started as a joint venture between the Ministry of Communication of Azerbaijan and GTIB (Israel)[64] in early 1994 as the first cellular telephone operator in the country.

For instance, Modcon Systems Ltd., an Israel-based supplier of high technology to the oil and gas industries, opened a branch in Azerbaijan.

He underlined that through the Trans-Israel pipeline between Ashkelon and Eilat, Israel could be a strategic partner for marketing Caspian oil to Asia.