Hikmet Farhad oglu Hajiyev is an Azerbaijani politician, currently serving as the Assistant to Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Hajiyev is also the Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration since 2018.
Getting to Know Mr. Hajiyev
I first met Mr. Hajiyev during my visit to Azerbaijan in May 2017. I was invited to his office when he served as the Spokesperson, Head of Press Services, at Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His broad knowledge impressed me.
Since we first met Mr. Hajiyev and I have met on several other occasions and he always expressed his utmost fondness and respect for the State of Israel. Myself, a Jew, triggered him to once tell me: “I love you and I love Israel.”
About Azerbaijan Foreign Affairs
The Republic of Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union on August 30, 1991, shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The State of Israel recognized the Republic of Azerbaijan’s state independence on December 25, 1991. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on April 7, 1992.
Eliezer Yolvat was Israel’s first Ambassador to Baku from 1994-to-1997.
Although Azerbaijan has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992, it only opened its embassy in Tel Aviv on March 29, 2023. This move was seen as a significant step in the bilateral relationship between the world’s only Jewish state and the strategic Shi’ite Muslim-majority country that happened to also share a land border with Iran.
Azerbaijan-Israel Relations Latest
As of recently Azerbaijan has gained some important headline news in regards to its relations with Israel.
1/ Azerbaijan supplies some 40% of Israel’s annual oil needs. During the current war with Hamas, Azerbaijan quietly increased the oil flow supply to Israel to 55% in order for Israel not to be short of fuel while fighting.
2/ Azerbaijan just made a 10% purchase of Israel’s gas field. This move will give Israel easier access to the European market, which Azerbaijan already gained.
3/ El-Al, Israel national airlines and Azerbaijan national airline have just become partners. Right through the war Azerbaijan airlines was the only foreign airline that did not boycott Israel and did not stop its flights to Ben Gurion Airport, and has maintained its weekly 2 flights to Israel.
4/ Azerbaijan is the ONLY Muslim country in the world that has incorporated the study about Antisemitism and the international definition of antisemitism in its 12K education curriculum. The International Holocaust Day is observed in Azerbaijan.
Ending the War With Armenia
Azerbaijan won its war against Armenia in 2020 and again in 2023, liberating its Nagorno-Karabakh region to which it has territorial integrity. The conflict has been ongoing since the 1990s.
Azerbaijan and Israel Making Headline News
Azerbaijan and Israel’s partnership has recently been in the news.
During February 2025 Mr. Hajiev flew to Israel to meet with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In their extensive talks they discussed the countries’ strategic ties and potential Abraham Accords expansion, as regional alliance takes shape.
The headline was: “Azerbaijan emerges as key player in President Trump’s Middle East vision.”
The talks marked what officials describe as a potential “game-changing moment” in regional politics.
Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Israel stated that both sides discussed expanding the already existing bilateral cooperation and also regional developments.
Mr. Hajiyev’s talks with Mr. Netanyahu signal a growing impetus for a possible inclusion of Azerbaijan in the Abraham Accords framework.
In 2022, in preparation to produce a documentary themed on the humanitarian spirit relations exchange between Israel and Azerbaijan the writer met with Mr. George Deek, the current Israel Ambassador to Azerbaijan.
In that meeting Mr. Deek said: “The United States position in Azerbaijan could be improved. And for us in Israel it is important to have the United States present and dominant (In Azerbaijan) because we do not want the world to be dominated by other powers that are less enlightened, less democratic, less freedom oriented. We see it as our (Israel) task to promote American involvement in this part of the world. We believe it should be a natural partnership between the United States, Israel and including Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has been so important to the United States and NATO during the war in Afghanistan. Azerbaijan is also the only country in the world that has a border with Russia and Iran, the two most sanctioned and most negatively viewed countries in the world. Yet, so little is known or there is awareness about Azerbaijan and awareness of what this country is and how Azerbaijan yearns to be part of the West.”
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The Atlantic Council, a prominent US think tank stated that, “Washington should learn from Israel’s diplomatic and security collaboration with Azerbaijan in order to bolster its own ties with Baku.”
Tightening Relations With The U.S.
Besides Azerbaijan being a bulwark against Iran, close relations with Azerbaijan could help the United States gain a stronger foothold among Central Asian countries, with whom Azerbaijan has been developing stronger relations.
Interestingly, the same day Mr. Hajiyev arrived in Jerusalem, the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies published a special ‘Prospective Paper’ called “How to Effectively Engage Azerbaijan in Trump’s Regional Plans and in Israel’s Interests: Practical Recommendations.”
The Paper points out that Israel and pro-Israel forces in the U.S. should actively advocate for Azerbaijan’s inclusion in American-Israeli regional development, investment, and technology partnerships.
Azerbaijan’s participation in such initiatives would strengthen Israel’s regional partnerships’ Muslim component. Such a partnership aligns with the Trump administration’s strategy which is to expand multilateral cooperation among U.S. allies in order to reduce Washington’s financial burden on regional development and defense projects.
Section 907 – an Obstacle
Section 907 of the United States Freedom Support Act was strongly lobbied by the U.S Armenian American community, and bans any kind of direct United States aid to Azerbaijan due to the 1990s 1st Nagorno-Karabakh War.
On October 24, 2001, the Senate adopted an amendment to the Act that would provide the President with the ability to waive Section 907. The amendment was consistently enacted till November 15, 2023, when the Senate adopted a bill that would suspend all military aid to Azerbaijan by repealing the Freedom Support Act Section 907 waiver.
In order for the U.S. and Israel to fully leverage Azerbaijan’s advantageous position within the new ‘Greater Middle East’ construct, Section 907 that has restricted US assistance to Azerbaijan must be eliminated.
Founding US-AZ Cultural Foundation
In 2022 I, the writer, founded US-AZ Cultural Foundation (USAZCF) its purpose is to serve as a contributor to increase relations between Azerbaijan and the United States, in particular, and Israel and the West, in general, via culture, educational dialogues and seminars, media, entertainment, film & documentary content.
We, at USAZCF believe that art, music, dance, film, television, and educational projects all feed the soul and expand horizons. Festivals and live performances draw people from unpredicted corners of a country and/or the world and help stimulate the local economy while fostering pride in the community.
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Azerbaijan’s Crucial Role in a New Middle East
The Majority Muslim country Azerbaijan makes an attractive partner for expanding the Abraham Accords to other Muslim countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Economy have been actively engaged in bilateral relations with Israel for years. Azerbaijan has consistently supported Israel and as such could serve as consultant as the Accords expand.
Both Israel and Azerbaijan view the Iranian regime as an existential threat, and in the current geopolitical context making their security cooperation particularly valuable.
Israel-Azerbaijan Meeting in Jerusalem Is Seen as ‘Game-Changing’
Mr. Hajiyev and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s high-level meeting took place 48 hours after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Israel. This could be translated to a new avenue of geopolitical cooperation strategy in which the U.S., Israel and Azerbaijan are getting involved.
For three decades, Azerbaijan has been one of Israel’s most reliable partners in the Muslim world.
Basically, close ties with Azerbaijan not only can counter Iran, it can also enhance U.S. influence in Central Asia, a region rich in minerals and energy, crucial for the Middle Corridor trade route from Asia to Europe which bypasses Russia and Iran.
Through The Blink Of An Eye
Putting emphasis on Israel-Azerbaijan relation and to accentuate the humanitarian spirit uniqueness the two countries hold, the docufilm ‘Through The Blink Of An Eye’ is in its editing process.
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Through the camera lens producers Nurit Greenger, US-AZ Cultural Foundation President and Eti El-Kiss, CEO Cachet Worldwide Production give the world a sense of, as a young man stated: “If there is any hope for Jews and Muslims to live in peace, it clearly starts with Azerbaijan.”
Azerbaijan and Israel Proud to Be Allies
In the 21st century Azerbaijan, as a Muslim-majority nation, can proudly claim, against many past odds, a unique status with longstanding strategic ties to the Jewish state, Israel.
Mr. Hajiyev’s visit in Israel, coinciding with US-Israel renewed efforts regarding Iran’s nuclear programme, only highlights Azerbaijan’s strategic importance that is now reaching the Atlantic Ocean shores.
The United States, Azerbaijan and Israel regard the Iranian regime as an existential threat to the civilized world. Expanding on security cooperation is regarded most valuable in the world’s current geopolitical landscape.
Knowing Mr. Kikmet Hajiyev, the relationship of 3 decades between the two allies – Azerbaijan and Israel – will only grow stronger and is about to expand to new turf.
