Azerbaijan to open embassy in Israel, representative office in Palestine’s Ramallah

ANKARA/BAKU, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan will open its embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, and a representative office in the Palestinian city of Ramallah, following parliamentary approval on Friday.

Azerbaijan will also open its embassies in Albania and Kenya.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid welcomed Azerbaijan’s decision. “The decision to open an embassy reflects the depth of the relations between the countries,” Lapid said on Twitter.

Azerbaijan is an important partner of Israel and home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the Muslim world, he said.

“This move is the fruit of efforts by the Israeli government to build strong diplomatic bridges with the Muslim world,” he added.

Israel and Azerbaijan have had relations for 30 years, and there has been an Israeli embassy in Baku since 1993.