[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 26, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E945]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       AZERBAIJAN AND ISRAEL: GOOD FRIENDS UNDER SIEGE FROM IRAN

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                         HON. DANIEL B. MAFFEI

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 26, 2010

  Mr. MAFFEI. Madam Speaker, unfortunately, good relations between the 
State of Israel and Muslim nations are the exception rather than the 
rule. Everyone knows about the establishment of diplomatic relations 
between Israel and Egypt as part of the Camp David Accords, which led 
to the assassination of President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. Israel's 
neighbor, Jordan, Under King Hussein and his son, King Abdullah II, 
have also developed good ties with Israel.
  More typical than Israeli-Egyptian or Israeli-Jordanian relations in 
the public's eye is the poisonous relationship between Iran and Israel, 
a situation fueled by the unrelenting hostility and anti-Semitism of 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader, Grand 
Ayatollah Khamenei.
  Iran and its particular brand of Shi'ite Islam seem particularly 
hostile toward Israel, which is understandably nervous not just about 
Iran's nuclear ambitions but its strong financial support of Hezbollah 
and its terrorist activities right in Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza.
  Given this situation, it would be surprising to most to learn that 
one of Israel's strongest friends in the region is Azerbaijan, a former 
Soviet Republic, with over a 90 percent Shi'ite population that has 
adopted a secular style completely opposed to Iran's sectarian 
government. Azerbaijan has chosen a very different path from that of 
its southern neighbor, even though there are over 20 million ethnic 
Azeris living in Iran, including the Grand Ayatollah himself, who is of 
Azeri descent.
  One possible explanation for Azerbaijan's positive relationship with 
Israel is the presence of a strong Jewish community in Azerbaijan for 
over 2,500 years. By all accounts, these Azeri Jews have always been 
well treated and never subject to the types of discrimination and 
hostility that confronted Jews, not just in Muslim nations, but the 
Christian nations of Europe.
  Israel and Azerbaijan established diplomatic relations in 1993, and 
Israel opened an Embassy in Baku one year later. Cultural ties also 
increased at this time. In 1994, a Yeshiva was opened in Baku, and 
other Jewish schools established years later. A new Jewish synagogue, 
one of the largest, if not the largest in Europe, opened in Baku in 
1993 and currently there are synagogues in several other Azeri cities.
  Prominent Israeli visitors to Baku have included then-Prime Minister 
Benjamin Netanyahu in 1997, President Shimon Peres in June, 2009 and in 
2010 Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Israeli trade, diplomatic and 
cultural missions to Azerbaijan are common place, and Israel is 
Azerbaijan's fifth largest trading partner, exporting over $3.5 billion 
per year to Israel, including supplying over a quarter of Israel's oil 
supply. Israeli exports and direct investments in Azerbaijan are also 
growing, creating strong economic ties between the two nations.
  On a political front, Israel and Azerbaijan cooperate closely on 
security issues. Israel supplies significant military equipment to 
Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan provides Israel with valuable intelligence 
support, particularly regarding Iran. The two nations also work 
together to combat the growth of radical Islam.
  The close political, cultural, economic and security relations 
between Israel and a majority Shi'a but secular Azerbaijan present a 
model that needs to be encouraged, cultivated and spread throughout the 
Muslim world. However, this will not happen by itself, and, unless the 
United States begins to focus more on Azerbaijan's importance in the 
region, the very existence of this positive Azeri-Israeli relationship 
could be put in jeopardy.
  I would like to include in the Record a recent article from Radio 
Free Europe/Radio Liberty, published on March 9, 2010, ``The Blooming 
Friendship Between Azerbaijan and Israel,'' by Anna Zamejc. The article 
quotes Baku-born former Israeli Knesset member Yosef Shagal on 
Azerbaijan's friendship with Israel'' ``Today, everyone understands why 
Iran wants to block the Azerbaijani-Israeli rapprochement by any means 
. . . It is one of the most important strategic priorities of the 
Islamic republic. Teheran is perfectly aware of the following: the 
stronger the connection between Baku and Jerusalem, the more weakened 
Iran will be.''
  Zamejc goes on to discuss the tremendous pressure Iran is placing on 
Azerbaijan to cut its ties with Israel, pressure which is becoming more 
and more difficult to resist without strong support from the West, 
particularly the United States. The United States has spent too much 
blood, treasure and diplomatic capital trying to build peaceful 
relations between Israel and its Muslim neighbors for it to let this 
great example of success slip away.
  It is important that we pay greater attention to Azerbaijan for 
economic, strategic and security reasons, and in particular respond 
affirmatively to Azerbaijan either when it cooperates with the United 
States in these areas or demonstrates that a Muslim nation both can and 
should have positive relations with the State of Israel.

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