President Herzog on state visit to Azerbaijan

Arriving in Baku for a state visit on Tuesday, President Isaac Herzog was greeted by an honor guard and welcomed the expanded ties between Israel and the Shiite country. He noted: “Azerbaijan is a neighbor of Iran, a destabilizing force in the region seeking to undermine Israeli alliances of peace and security in the region.” Although trade and military ties go back decades, Azerbaijan only opened an embassy in Israel last March after the Abraham accords normalized relations with leading Arab nations. During the two-day visit, Herzog plans to meet with his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, and to take part in a special event marking the 75th anniversary of Israel’s independence.