ISTANBUL

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday discussed bilateral ties, as well as cooperation in various fields, with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who arrived in the capital Baku a day before.

“Appreciating Azerbaijan-Israel relations, the head of state stated that there are good political relations between our countries. President Ilham Aliyev assessed the opening of Azerbaijan's embassy in Israel as an indicator of the high level of our relations and emphasized that these relations are based on friendship, mutual trust, respect and support,” a statement by the Azerbaijani presidency read.

The statement said Aliyev noted the work of the joint government commission of the two countries in the expanding agenda between Azerbaijan and Israel, saying he hoped the commission will contribute to the diversification of Azerbaijani-Israeli relations.

Aliyev also said his country’s economy is in the process of a “successfully implemented” modernization, and that the exchange of experience in the field of technology, including green energy, smart city, and smart village concepts, is important between the two countries, according to the statement.

The statement further said Aliyev informed Cohen of the conditions created in the Alat Free Economic Zone, noting that he said there are “good opportunities for Israeli companies to operate here and come up with new projects.”

“The importance of SOCAR's (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) participation in the exploitation of hydrocarbon resources in Israel was also emphasized,” it added.

For his part, Cohen expressed his appreciation about the opening of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Israel, expressing hope that the diplomatic mission will “contribute to the establishment of strategic relations” between the two countries, the statement also said.

Cohen also said “friendly relations” exist not only between both countries, but also on the societal level, the statement added, noting that the meeting emphasized that there are “wide opportunities for the development of cooperation in the fields of economy, energy, agriculture, renewable energy, investments, science, education, culture, tourism, security and other fields.”

“It was also noted that Israel's experience in the fields of water resources management and desalination of seawater, prevention of desertification, development of agriculture in desert and semi-desert conditions is interesting for Azerbaijan,” the statement concluded.

Cohen's visit to Azerbaijan came weeks after the opening of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Israel and the appointment of a permanent ambassador to Israel.

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