Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijan's relations with Israel are "discreet but close", says a new secret cable of US diplomats from Baku dated January 13, 2009 released by the WikiLeaks website.

The cable, which is based on embassy interactions with Israeli colleagues in Baku and with Azerbaijani officials, says each country finds it easy to identify with the other's geopolitical difficulties and both rank Iran as a "security threat". Israel`s world-class defense industry with its relaxed attitude about its customer base is a perfect match for Azerbaijan`s substantial defense needs that are largely left unmet by the United States, Europe and Russia for various reasons tied to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azerbaijani region under Armenian occupation.

"Aptly described by Azerbaijani President [Ilham] Aliyev as being like an iceberg, nine-tenths of it is below the surface, this relationship is also marked by a pragmatic recognition by Israel of Azerbaijan`s political need to hew publicly and in international forums to the OIC's [Organization for Islamic Conference] general line."

US diplomats were quoted as saying that much like Israel, Azerbaijan perceives Iran as a major, even existential security threat, and the two countries' cooperation flows from this shared recognition. "Even open sources have identified an extensive relationship between the countries, intelligence services that even predated the presidency of Heydar Aliyev and it only stands to reason that this remains a major area of cooperation which both sides naturally seek to downplay."

The cable said the Azerbaijani authorities "assiduously protect" Israeli interests in Baku. For example, authorities had noticeably improved local security at the Israeli embassy when the most recent operations began in Gaza. When authorities got word of a planned demonstration on January 2, they dispatched buses to the place where the protesters were preparing to set off for the embassy and arrested them on the spot. Police detained 25 of the 150 demonstrators rounded up, and 20 of them were sentenced to 10 or 15 days, detention. In sharp contrast, the Azerbaijani government allows demonstrators to picket the Iranian embassy, so long as the subject of the protest is the treatment of Azeris in Iran, the cable says.

It said further that through its close relations with Israel, Azerbaijan gets a level of access to the quality weapon systems it needs to develop its army that it can not obtain from the U.S. and Europe due to various legal limitations, nor from its ex-Soviet suppliers, Belarus and Ukraine. Where other Wastern nations are reluctant to sell ground combat systems to the Azerbaijanis for fear of encouraging Azerbaijan to resort to war to regain Armenia-occupied Nagorno Karabakh and adjacent territories, Israelis free to make substantial arms sales and benefits greatly from deals with its well-heeled client. In September 2008 (again in a little-publicized affair) the Azerbaijani government signed an extensive agreement with the Israeli Defense Ministry providing for three Israeli companies to provide mortars, ammunition, rocket artillery and radio equipment.

According to the cable, the company Soltam got the contract to provide mortars and ammunition, Tadiran Communications will provide radio gear, and Israeli Military Industries will provide the rockets. IMI sells a range of rocket artillery and accessories ranging from upgrade kits for Soviet vintage BM-21 Grad 122mm systems, guidance packages for 122mm-300mm rockets and launch vehicles for up to 300mm rockets. "It was not clear what exactly the Azerbaijanis bought, as the deal was simply described as being worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Azerbaijan already operates IMI's 122mm Lynx multiple-launch rocket system, which it mounts on a KAMAZ 63502 heavy truck," the cable said.

Recent USDAO reporting also indicates that Azerbaijan's government through its Ministry of Defense Industries has created a joint venture with an Israeli entity to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This venture will have 51 per cent state ownership.

The relationship does have its limits; it does not translate into any preferential treatment for Israeli investors or capital in Azerbaijan. "Israeli businessmen prefer corruption in Kazakhstan to that of Azerbaijan because in Kazakhstan one can expect to pay exorbitant fees to do business but those are generally collected at once, up front, whereas in Azerbaijan the demands for bribes never cease," the report claimed.

It said Israel's relations with Azerbaijan are based strongly on "pragmatism and a keen appreciation of priorities". Israel`s main goal is to preserve Azerbaijan as an ally against Iran, a platform for reconnaissance of that country and as a market for military hardware. In order to ensure those goals, the Israelis have keenly attuned themselves to the Azerbaijani government's needs as an OIC member and a state like Israel wedged between large, powerful and unfriendly neighbors.

They forgo the option of pressuring the Azerbaijani government on secondary issues to secure the primary ones. "It is apparent to us that for now both sides are well satisfied with the bilateral state of affairs", the cable said.