Herzog meets Azerbaijan’s Aliyev in Baku as Israel and Azerbaijan seek deeper strategic ties

Israeli President Isaac Herzog met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Wednesday during a visit centered on strengthening relations between the two countries.

Herzog arrived in Azerbaijan for a day-and-a-half visit to attend the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, or CICA.

His office said the talks with Aliyev would focus on deepening strategic cooperation and strengthening bilateral ties between Israel and Azerbaijan.

Herzog is also scheduled to address the CICA summit, hold meetings with other world leaders and meet leaders of Azerbaijan’s Jewish community before leaving the country.

Israel and Azerbaijan maintain close political, security and energy ties, with Azerbaijan serving as an important oil supplier to Israel and Israel as a major defense supplier to Baku.