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Azerbaijan Opens Embassy in Israel amid Tension with Iran

Bayramov and Cohen during a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday. (Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Bayramov and Cohen during a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday. (Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
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Azerbaijan Opens Embassy in Israel amid Tension with Iran

Bayramov and Cohen during a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday. (Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Bayramov and Cohen during a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday. (Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov inaugurated Wednesday his country’s embassy in Tel Aviv.

Azerbaijan appointed its first ever ambassador to Israel on Wednesday, amid escalating tensions with its large southern neighbor Iran.

The step could worsen the trust crisis between Baku and its southern neighbor Tehran.

Bayramov arrived Wednesday morning in Tel Aviv and kicked off a series of meetings with politicians and economists.

He intends to visit Ramallah to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Bayramov commenced his meetings with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.

Cohen said that they discussed fostering bilateral ties in economy, energy, education, academia, culture, sports, and more.

The Israeli FM stated that he intends to come on an official visit to Baku in the coming weeks at the head of an economic delegation.

"The opening of the Azeri embassy in Israel is further evidence of the strengthening of relations between our countries. Azerbaijan is a Muslim country, and its strategic location makes the relationship between us of great importance and great potential,” Cohen said.

“I agreed with Foreign Minister Bayramov on forming a united front against Iran and strengthening our cooperation in the fields of economy, security, energy, and innovation. I will soon go on a political visit to Baku together with a large economic delegation, which will further deepen the commercial ties between Israel and Azerbaijan," he added.

Bayramov stated that there is a joint purpose for both countries to cooperate to reach a strategic partnership that helps achieve regional peace and stability.

The Azerbaijani FM noted that Israel provides his country with huge and major aid to maintain its territories' safety and security and to restore parts occupied by Armenia.

Bayramov also pointed out an 85% growth in the trade turnover between the two countries in 2022.

Bayramov added that 114 Israeli companies operate in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani oil makes up about 30% of the oil consumed by Israel.

Israel and Azerbaijan have had official ties for 30 years, and Israel first opened its embassy in Baku in 1993.

Israel was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991.

Mukhtar Mammadov, the ambassador of Azerbaijan to Israel, presented on Monday his credentials to Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Herzog said that Azerbaijan is the first Shiite country to open an embassy in Israel.

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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO

Taiwan on Thursday demonstrated its sea defenses against a potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing, part of a multitiered strategy to deter an invasion from the mainland.
The island’s navy highlighted its Kuang Hua VI fast attack missile boats and Tuo Chiang-class corvettes in waters near Taiwan’s largest port of Kaohsiung, a major hub for international trade considered key to resupplying Chinese forces should they establish a beachhead on the island.
The Kuang Hua VI boats, with a crew of 19, carry indigenously developed Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles and displayed their ability to take to the sea in an emergency to intercept enemy ships about to cross the 44-kilometer (24-nautical mile) limit of Taiwan’s contiguous zone, within which governments are permitted to take defensive action.
China routinely sends ships and planes to challenge Taiwan’s willingness and ability to counter intruders, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets, activate missile systems and dispatch warships. Taiwan demanded on Wednesday that China end its ongoing military activity in nearby waters, which it said is undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and disrupting international shipping and trade.
Mountainous Taiwan's strategy is to counter the much larger Chinese military with a relatively flexible defense that can prevent Chinese troops from crossing the strait. Landing sites are few on Taiwan's west coast facing China, forcing Beijing to focus on the east coast.
Hsiao Shun-ming, captain of a Tuo Chiang-class corvette, said his ship’s relatively small size still allows it to “deliver a formidable competitive power” against larger Chinese ships. The Tuo Chiang has a catamaran design and boasts high speeds and considerable stealth ability.
Taiwan has in recent years reinvigorated its domestic defense industry, although it still relies heavily on US technology such as upgraded fighter jets, missiles, tanks and detection equipment. US law requires it to consider threats to the island as matters of “grave concern,” and American and allied forces are expected to be a major factor in any conflict.
Thursday's exercise “demonstrates the effectiveness of asymmetric warfare, and Taiwan’s commitment to defense self-reliance,” said Chen Ming-feng, rear admiral and commander of the navy’s 192 Fleet specializing in mine detection. “We are always ready to respond quickly and can handle any kind of maritime situation.”
China's authoritarian one-party Communist government has refused almost all communication with Taiwan's pro-independence governments since 2016, and some in Washington and elsewhere say Beijing is growing closer to taking military action.
China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese favor their de facto independence and democratic status.