New Delhi/Baku: Pakistan’s staunch ally Azerbaijan is now taking part in peacemaker between Turkey and Israel, however not with out elevating eyebrows in New Delhi. Whereas Azerbaijan hosts secret rounds of diplomacy between Ankara and Tel Aviv in its capital Baku, it has concurrently launched a veiled offensive in opposition to India by backing Islamabad after India’s latest anti-terror operations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Not less than three rounds of behind-the-scenes conferences have reportedly taken place in Baku, the place Azerbaijan is desperately attempting to normalise ties between Turkey and Israel. The 2 nations are presently locked in a frosty standoff over the Gaza battle. Enraged by Israel’s strikes in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, Turkey has gone so far as calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a Twenty first-century Hitler”.
Azerbaijan appears decided to be the intermediary.
Regardless of attempting to undertaking itself as a peace-loving diplomatic bridge, the nation’s hypocrisy is tough to disregard. Simply days after India launched Operation Sindoor to dismantle terror infrastructure inside Pakistan and POK, Azerbaijan got here out swinging – condemning India’s precision strikes and siding brazenly with Pakistan.
In an official assertion on Could 8, Baku criticised New Delhi’s actions and parroted Islamabad’s name for a “diplomatic decision”.
As if public statements weren’t sufficient, Azerbaijan’s ambassador Khazar Farhadov went a step additional, personally writing to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Within the letter, he expressed sorrow over the reported civilian casualties and reiterated his nation’s assist for Pakistan’s sovereignty. Days later, Sharif landed in Baku, the place he made it some extent to thank Azerbaijan face-to-face for its solidarity in what Islamabad calls a “troublesome time”.
Kashmir Once more Turns into a Pawn
Azerbaijan has additionally brazenly supported Pakistan’s place on Kashmir, inserting itself within the tiny membership of countries that refuse to acknowledge terrorism as the foundation explanation for instability within the area. That is regardless of India’s mounting proof of Pakistan-sponsored terror operations in Jammu & Kashmir.
Satirically, Azerbaijan and Israel take pleasure in strong strategic ties. Israel depends closely on Azerbaijani oil, whereas the latter imports high-grade navy tech and weapons from the previous – essential in its decades-long hostility with Armenia.
But, now Baku seems to be utilizing this relationship to stress Tel Aviv into mending fences with Turkey, maybe to attain diplomatic mileage and assert itself as a regional influencer.
High Azerbaijani diplomat Hikmet Hajiyev confirmed that Baku is taking part in host to diplomatic classes between Turkey and Israel to “scale back threats in Syria.” Talking to Turkish journalists, Hajiyev stated, “Each Ankara and Tel Aviv belief us,” suggesting Baku’s rising ambitions to behave as a peace dealer in a battle zone it has little ethical authority over.
Turkey-Israel Feud
The animosity between Turkey and Israel is rooted in Ankara’s backing of Islamist rebels in Syria, significantly the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who tried to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. Israel, citing safety considerations, launched lots of of strikes inside Syria to forestall what it calls “jihadi parts” from gaining management of superior weaponry. Israel accuses Turkey of attempting to create a proxy zone inside Syria—pushing the area towards a harmful escalation.
India, in the meantime, stays cautious of Azerbaijan’s double play. On one hand, Baku cultivates ties with Tel Aviv and the West; on the opposite, it hugs Pakistan tighter, echoing anti-India rhetoric and defending jihadist-friendly regimes.
For a rustic that aspires to be a stabilising power, Azerbaijan’s selective morality and anti-India bias expose its true colors.
As international alliances shift quickly, India might be watching carefully as a result of in a area boiling with volatility, a so-called peace-broker backing a terror patron will not be ironic but additionally harmful.