Azerbaijan is set to become the first Shi’ite Muslim-majority state to open an embassy in Israel, following parliamentary approval.
The new embassy will be in Tel Aviv, where the country already has a Tourism Office and a Trade Representative Office.
Israel and Azerbaijan have had relations for 30 years, and there has been an Israeli embassy in Baku since 1993.
Prime Minister of Israel Yair Lapid praised the decision, calling Azerbaijan “an important partner of Israel and home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the Muslim world.
“The decision to open an embassy reflects the depth of the relations between the countries,” Lapid added. “This move is the fruit of efforts by the Israeli government to build strong diplomatic bridges with the Muslim world.”
