Azerbaijan balances support for Palestine while maintaining ties with Israel

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev's approval of a protocol signed on 10 July to provide financial assistance to the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Azerbaijan has renewed attention on Baku's carefully calibrated approach to the Palestinian issue.

Azerbaijan’s commitment to sovereignty and territorial integrity

Azerbaijan has consistently supported the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on relevant UN resolutions and a two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Baku has also regularly provided financial assistance to Palestine.

At the same time, Azerbaijan has maintained a strategic partnership with Israel, with both countries consistently describing the relationship as highly valuable. This diplomatic balance makes Azerbaijan's approach to the Palestinian issue particularly noteworthy.

Speaking to AnewZ, political analyst Fuad Karimli discussed the place of the Palestinian issue within Azerbaijan's broader foreign policy strategy.

Asked by AnewZ's Bakhtiyar Hasanov how central the issue is to Azerbaijan's foreign policy, Karimli linked Baku's position to its own experience of separatism and its longstanding commitment to sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We see that Azerbaijan has always been an ardent supporter of territorial integrity and sovereignty as we have suffered ourselves of separatist movements. and we have restored the territorial integrity of our own country," he said.

Karimli said Azerbaijan's support for Palestine reflects these principles.

"Azerbaijan has always supported the right of Palestinians to coexist in those lines. So, it has supported the two-state solution and the right for the Palestinians to stay there and have their own state with the capital in East Jerusalem as well," he said.

Balancing relations across the Middle East

Karimli said Azerbaijan's position is rooted in both its bilateral relationship with Palestine and its broader effort to maintain constructive relations across the Middle East.

"It's all part of the bilateral relationship between Azerbaijan and Palestine that is developed since Azerbaijan's independence, but also a part of Azerbaijan trying to balance good relations with all the countries in the Middle East," he told AnewZ.

A carefully calibrated foreign policy

Karimli's remarks underline Azerbaijan's carefully calibrated approach of supporting Palestinian statehood and the two-state solution while preserving its strategically important partnership with Israel. The policy reflects Baku's broader objective of maintaining productive relations across the Middle East while consistently upholding the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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• UK arrests dozens supporting banned Palestine Action

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News Politics Azerbaijan Palestine Israel strategic ties