Israeli defense minister fosters security ties in Azerbaijan

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz traveled this week to Azerbaijan, where he met with President Ilham Aliyev and Defense Minister Hasanov Zakir Asgar Oglu. He also met with the chief of the State Border Service, Col. Gen. Elchin Guliyev, and visited a State Border Service headquarters.

A statement from Gantz’s office said the visit focused on security and policy issues with the aim of fostering defense cooperation between Jerusalem and Baku. Gantz, it read, used his visit to “emphasize the importance of maintaining strategic relations between the State of Israel and the Republic of Azerbaijan” and “reflected on the changes in the Middle East region following the signing of the Abraham Accords.” It noted that Gantz and his dialogue partners also “discussed Israel’s developing ties with Turkey and additional countries in the region and the world.”