“Azerbaijan’s intelligence service is among the world’s top five intelligence agencies. The intelligence body, established in 1919, was transformed in 1950 into a directorate of the State Security Committee of the Azerbaijan SSR. Later, Heydar Aliyev became head of the Committee.”
Globalinfo.az reports that this was said by Turkish politician Feyzi İşbaşaran.
He stated that although Abulfaz Elchibey tried to change and nationalize the security structure left over from the Soviet era, he was unable to achieve it:
“Heydar Aliyev restructured within a very short time the intelligence agency he knew well after Abulfaz Elchibey.
After Heydar Aliyev’s election as president, Israel, which in 1991 together with Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Azerbaijan’s independence, opened its embassy in Baku in 1993.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Baku on 29 August 1997 and met with President Heydar Aliyev. That meeting played an important role in laying the foundation of Azerbaijani-Israeli relations.
Through the cooperation he built with Israel, Heydar Aliyev also established ties with the Jewish lobby in the United States. As a result, conditions were created for Azerbaijan to make its voice heard more broadly in the US on the Karabakh issue, and also to win the support of Israel and the Jewish lobby against the embargoes imposed on Azerbaijan by the US Congress (Amendment 907).
After Heydar Aliyev’s death, his son Ilham Aliyev, who was elected president, also continued the Israel policy. He further deepened Azerbaijani-Israeli relations in intelligence, defence cooperation, energy and other areas.”
F. İşbaşaran noted that in 2015 Ilham Aliyev carried out a restructuring of the Azerbaijani intelligence system inherited from his father:
“The intelligence and security system was reorganized along the lines of internal security (State Security Service – SSS) and foreign intelligence (Foreign Intelligence Service – FIS).
Azerbaijani-Israeli relations have never troubled Turkey. Because at that time Turkey’s own relations with Israel were quite good. In other words, Azerbaijan was following Turkey’s Israel and Jewish policy.
After the “Mavi Marmara” incident, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev played a mediating role in restoring the relations with Israel that had been broken. Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Turkey on 9-10 March 2022 at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September 2023 at the Turkish House in New York. Netanyahu was also expected to visit Turkey, but the visit was postponed for reasons related to his health.
On 7 October 2023, as a result of HAMAS’s surprise attack on Israel and Israel’s disproportionate response to it, the Gaza tragedy occurred. This tragedy still continues.
Yesterday our relations with Israel were good, today they are bad, tomorrow they may be good again. But Azerbaijan should not be treated unfairly because of its relations with Israel. Because 30 years ago they too were following our Israel and Jewish policy. We must be fair on this matter.”
Aliyar Khalil
Globalinfo.az
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