Algemeiner | Baku Summit Illuminates Problematic Global Sentiments, Despite Azerbaijan’s History of Strong Relations With Israel

JNS.org – Meeting with a Jewish delegation ahead of the second Baku Summit of World Religious Leaders last week, Mubariz Gurbanli, chairman to the State Committee on Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, referred to his country’s “sustainable and close relationship with Israel in military, economy and policy.”

Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority state, has enjoyed strong diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the beginning of Azerbaijani independence. Today, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, in whose honor this summit took place, contribute greatly to the state’s relationship with religious minorities, fostering intercultural and inter-religious cooperation, and promoting ideas of multiculturalism.