OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Your Excellency,

On the joyous occasion of Azerbaijan's Independence Day, marking a milestone of sovereignty and strength for your nation and people, please accept my heartfelt congratulations to you and the citizens of Azerbaijan on behalf of the State of Israel and its people.

The decades-long friendship between our nations has steadily deepened over the years and turned into a vital strategic partnership. The ties between our two nations rest on a solid foundation of centuries of friendship between the nation of Azerbaijani and the Jewish people. Our historic connection has led to a modern-day partnership based on mutual honesty, respect, and trust, which continues to expand and strengthen.

As our bilateral economic, political, and security dialogue and cooperation continue to reach new heights, I am confident that we will continue to enhance these ties far into the future. A significant number of Azerbaijani Jews have made their home here in Israel, and these honored members of our national mosaic serve as living bridge connecting our two peoples.

It was a special honor for Michal and myself to travel to your beautiful nation last year, for a series of fruitful discussions. I remain deeply grateful for the warm and welcome hospitality that you and the First Lady showered upon our delegation.

Here in Jerusalem, we deeply value the strong bonds of friendship between our two nations, and I am committed to using my time in office to further expand our relations. The opportunities are bountiful, and there is abundant goodwill from both our nations to continue strengthening our bilateral ties.

Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the kind invitation to participate in COP29. I wish you much success as you prepare to host this central international gathering focused on finding solutions to the pressing global priority of climate change. I personally look forward to joining these important conversations later this year.

Once again, it is my honor to wish you, the First Lady, and all the people of Azerbaijan peace and prosperity this year and in the years to come.

Yours sincerely, and fondest regards,

Isaac Herzog

President of the State of Israel