Alexander Murinson, an American expert at Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and Senior Analyst at Wikistrat, has given an interview to the Washington Bureau of AZERTAC about the recent pro-Armenian op-ed by Yair Auron in Jewish newspaper Haaretz titled “Israel must not sell arms to Azerbaijan.” The author had falsely accused Azerbaijan of “committing” genocide against Armenians, being an intolerant nation and misrepresented all facts on Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict and Armenia-Israel relations.

- What major points is the author of the article missing in his op-ed as far as Armenia-Israel relations are concerned?

When Israelis and their homes are under attack from militant groups, they should adopt a broader vision about the realities of the region. Azerbaijan is a country that supplies Israel with vital energy resources, critical for Israeli economy. As the bilateral relations between the two states strengthen, the anti-Semitic diatribes appear regularly in Armenian domestic and diaspora publications, in which Israel and Jews are vilified and demonized. Armenia has become a virtually mono-ethnic country thriving on the daily diet of the most virulent nationalism bordering on racism. If we look back at 1970-80s, we can see that members of the ASALA, an Armenian terrorist group, were training on the Palestinian training bases in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon shoulder-to-shoulder with the inglorious Black September, which organized the terrorist attack against Israeli delegation at the Munich Olympics. Noteworthy is that an ASALA operative Monte Melkonian, trained in the Beqaa Valley himself, ended up fighting Azerbaijani forces and massacring Azeri civilians in Karabakh in the 1990s.

- How strategically important is Azerbaijan for Israel as a cultural and religious bridge to Muslim world, supplier of energy resources and a security partner?

Israel has forged a strong political and security bond with Azerbaijan. The Jewish state was one of the first states to recognize the independent Republic of Azerbaijan upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The presence of a sizable Azerbaijani Jewish community in Israel continue to serve as a channel for improved commercial and citizens’ links between the two countries. As you know, Karabakh region of Azerbaijan is under occupation of Armenian armed forces and the reality shows that despite the violation of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, religious solidarity is not a factor, since Armenia keeps on receiving economic benefits and subsidized energy from Muslim countries. Israel, in its own right, although of different religious majority, keeps expanding commercial, security, as well as cultural cooperation.

- What should the author know in terms of religious tolerance vis-a-vis Jews in Azerbaijan, both under Soviet rule and within independent Azerbaijan?

This mutual sympathy has a historical basis. Azerbaijani leadership always took a pre-eminent role in condemning of any manifestation of anti-Semitism in the post-Soviet space. President Heydar Aliyev stressed the historical nature of Azerbaijani-Israeli amity in his diplomacy. In a speech addressed to Israeli diplomats, Heydar Aliyev said, “The friendship between Azerbaijan and Israel has deep roots. For centuries Jews lived continuously in Azerbaijan as equal citizens. Azerbaijanis never considered them foreigners.” He stressed the special role which the Ashkenazi Jews came to play in the history of the modern Azerbaijani state:”Our people will never forget that the Jews, who came to settle in Azerbaijan in the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries and until today, have greatly contributed to the development in Azerbaijan of such sectors as science, culture, health, economics, industry, and left an indelible trace.”

The Azerbaijani Jewish community maintains close links with the Jewish community in the United States and Israel. From November 1998 leaders of local Azerbaijani communities (Ashkenazis, Mountain Jews and Georgian) held regular meetings and exchanges. The unsuspecting American Jewish leaders during their first trip to Azerbaijan in decades were amazed by the respect and the genuine friendliness extended by Azerbaijani government towards its Jewish community and the vibrancy of the Jewish community of Quba. The Director of the World Jewish Agency for Israel (Sokhnut), Gyora Romm, concluded after an exploratory visit to Israel in January of 2003 that Azerbaijan has very friendly relations with the Jewish community and treats it on the basis of equality. He stated, “This is the only country where Jews are treated so fairly.” This is a remarkable statement issued by the leader of an Israeli quasi-governmental organization whose main task is to facilitate Jewish immigration. In April 1999, President Heydar Aliyev traveled to Washington to take part in the summit on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of NATO. In the course of the visit he spoke to the American Jewish community and conveyed his personal sentiments of friendship and mutual respect. He called on the American Jews to further their efforts to defeat Section 907.

The Azerbaijani authorities granted with a special provision a dual citizenship to Israeli citizens of Azerbaijani origin. The former Azerbaijani Mountain Jews live compactly in Israel. The largest Azerbaijani communities are in Haifa and Acco. These new Israelis carefully preserve their family and economic ties based on their deep-seated Azerbaijani identity and centuries-long history of extraordinary co-existence. According to Eitan Naeh, a former Israeli ambassador in Baku, the Azerbaijani Jews in Israel, “could provide the basis for strong commercial ties.”

About 40,000 Azerbaijani Jews have immigrated to Israel. They are familiar with the language, culture and traditions of Azerbaijani people who are historically friendly to the Jews. This community can serve as a great resource for Israeli businesses, which are considering making investments in Azerbaijan.

Yusif Babanli

Special Correspondent