Herzog Meets Bahrain FM in Baku as Azerbaijan Emerges as Diplomatic Hub
President Isaac Herzog met Bahrain's Foreign Minister in Baku, highlighting Azerbaijan's growing role as a diplomatic bridge and neutral meeting ground for Middle Eastern nations amidst regional tensions.
President Isaac Herzog met with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani in Baku on Wednesday, highlighting Azerbaijan's growing diplomatic role as a neutral meeting ground for Middle Eastern nations amid regional tensions. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
According to the President's Office, the discussions focused on strengthening the Abraham Accords and expanding regional cooperation. Herzog also met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to discuss bilateral relations and regional security.
For Azerbaijan, emerging as a middle power, these meetings reflect a diplomatic role cultivated over years. Baku maintains close ties with Israel alongside strong relationships with Turkey, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and other Muslim nations. Joseph Epstein, a researcher at the Turan Research Center and senior fellow at the Yorktown Institute, describes this approach as reconciliation without a public platform.
"Azerbaijan established relations with Israel in 1992 and maintained them through two Karabakh wars, the war in Gaza, and years of pressure from Tehran and Ankara," Epstein said. He noted that Baku built partnerships in security, commerce, technology, and energy without severing ties with the Arab and Muslim world.
These ties have previously facilitated sensitive discussions, including security talks between Israeli and Turkish defense delegations in April 2025 aimed at preventing military friction in Syria. While the talks did not resolve all disputes between Jerusalem and Ankara, they demonstrated the value of maintaining direct communication channels during political tensions.
Professor Zeev Khanin of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies views Azerbaijan's rise as a unique model distinct from the formal Abraham Accords. Baku's ability to maintain its partnership with Israel despite escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and pressure from Iran makes it a rare bridge between the Jewish state and the Muslim world.
Herzog's visit also underscores Azerbaijan's importance to the United States and the West. American recognition of Baku's regional stability role was formalized in a strategic partnership charter signed in February 2026. For Israel, Bahrain, Turkey, and Armenia, Azerbaijan continues to provide a vital venue for dialogue when regional channels are strained.
