Israel requested China’s help in confronting any Iranian attempt to develop nuclear capabilities, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that his country would continue its fight to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen left on a diplomatic visit to Azerbaijan where he will meet President Ilham Aliyev, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, and Economy Minister Miayil Jabbarov, to discuss “strengthening strategic relations between their countries, addressing regional challenges pertaining to Tehran, and deepening cooperation in the fields of economy, security, energy and innovation.”
“I leave today for an important political visit to continue building a united front with our friends in Baku to meet common challenges,” Cohen said in a statement.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry indicated that diplomatic relations between Israel, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan - the two Muslim countries that share borders with Iran - have developed greatly, which has worried Tehran.
Iran had pressured Turkmenistan to prevent Cohen’s visit.
On the eve of his departure to Baku, the Israeli foreign minister received a call from his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, who expressed concern about the growing tension between Israel and the Palestinians, and called on the two sides to resume peace talks as soon as possible.
Cohen took the opportunity to express his concern about Iran’s efforts to advance its nuclear program and asked the Chinese FM to pressure Tehran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons.
“The danger we see in the Iranian nuclear program [is] a danger that is shared by many countries in the region, including countries that have diplomatic relations with Iran. The international community must act immediately to prevent the regime in Tehran from obtaining nuclear capabilities,” he said.
On Monday, Netanyahu stressed that his country would continue its “battle” to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
“We are fighting resolutely against any nuclear deal with Iran that will pave its way to nuclear arms,” he said on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
