Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Elliot Brandt, the CEO of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), during his trip to Washington, where he is set to attend the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.
AIPAC is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the US, and its influence on electoral politics has gained increased attention in recent years against the backdrop of the war in Gaza.
According to a readout from the Azerbaijani presidential website, the two touched on a number of issues, including AIPAC’s role in ‘deepening Azerbaijan–US and Azerbaijan–Israel bilateral relations’.
Azerbaijan enjoys close ties with Israel, supplying it with energy and receiving modern weapons in return. Even as Israel faced growing international condemnation over the conduct of its war in Gaza, Azerbaijan has deepened its ties, particularly via the Azerbaijan state-run oil company SOCAR.
Both countries have used their relations as a form of PR, with Azerbaijan highlighting the presence of its small Jewish community within the majority Muslim population and Israel emphasising its close ties with Muslim Azerbaijan.
These narratives were again referenced in the talks, with Brandt thanking Aliyev for ‘state-level attention and care shown to the Jewish community in the country’.
The two also discussed increased Azerbaijan-US cooperation involving the Trump Route and other related issues.
Nate Ostiller
