In his op-ed (March 30, “Should Israel reconsider ties with Azerbaijan?”) the Armenian ex-pat Stephan Pechdimalji argued in the Jerusalem Post that it is immoral for Israel to have close relations with Azerbaijan. While Mr. Pechdimalji understands that Israel is pursuing a policy of realpolitik, he believes that Israel is wrong in doing this.
The problem with his article is that he ignores one important point: the relationship between Israel and Azerbaijan is not just a preference based on “realpolitik” but a vital relationship inextricably linked to the very existence of the State of Israel.
Azerbaijan’s location on Iran’s northern border and the inherent tension between Iran and Azerbaijan make Azerbaijan a country that has a role of paramount importance with regard to Israel’s ability to wage its war of survival against its greatest and most dangerous enemy, Iran.
I do not have any concrete information about what Israel is actually doing in Azerbaijan against Iran, but it is understandable that Azerbaijan’s strategic location allows Israel to act against Iran in several ways: to listen to Iranian communication networks that cannot be intercepted from Israel due to the distance; to meet with agents working with Israel inside Iran, and to secretly transfer people, intelligence equipment, arms and other kinds of equipment to and from Iran.
All of these intelligence and operational actions require an Israeli presence on the Iranian border and Azerbaijan is the ideal country for this. In addition, Pechdimalji ignores two other important roles that Azerbaijan plays for Israel: energy supply and a diplomatic bridge to Turkey.
These two issues are also of paramount importance for Israel, since without a stable energy supply, Israel – a high-tech country that depends on a continuous and reliable electricity supply – will not be able to function. Azerbaijan’s mediation between Israel and Turkey is essential to defuse the tensions between Turkey and Israel, which occasionally rises to dangerous levels.
In conclusion: The relations between Israel and Azerbaijan are not just a matter of realpolitik, but much more: they are an extremely vital issue for Israel due to the danger posed to it by Iran. It is important that the people of Armenia such as Mr. Pechdimalji – whose country is in bed with the oppressive, ayatollah regime in Iran – understand this.