Azerbaijan Is a Country That Has No Identity with Islam

Azerbaijan Is a Country That Has No Identity with Islam

A country's foreign policy is not always based on friendship, hostility, or even its declared religious principles. In many cases, political, economic, security, and geopolitical interests determine the decisions of governments. However, when the gap between a government's official statements and its actual actions becomes too evident, such conduct can no longer be regarded merely as a diplomatic decision.

Azerbaijan is a clear example of such a situation.

A country with a Muslim majority that, on various occasions, speaks of its relations with Muslim countries, its support for Palestine, and the two-state solution, while at the same time maintaining a very close and strategic relationship with the Zionist regime; a relationship that is not limited to political ties and also encompasses energy, trade, technology, defense, and security. In January 2026, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs described relations between the two countries as a “strategic partnership” and spoke of expanding cooperation in the fields of energy, defense, and security.

This contradiction becomes even more evident when it comes to Palestine and the Gaza Strip.

On the one hand, Baku supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and the two-state solution, and in July 2026, it even held discussions with the Palestinian Prime Minister regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip and developments in Palestine.

On the other hand, Azerbaijan's relations with the criminal Israeli regime were not only not severed, but were in fact deepened. In January 2026, the presidents of Azerbaijan and the Zionist regime met in Davos, and both sides emphasized the importance of increasing cooperation in the economic, commercial, and energy sectors. A few days later, Israel's Foreign Minister visited Baku and spoke about deepening cooperation between the two countries.

This is where the central question arises:

Can one support Palestine while simultaneously entering into a strategic partnership with the same criminal regime that has committed genocide against Palestinians?

Of course not.

Therefore, when a government claims solidarity with the Islamic world and the defense of Palestinian rights, while at the same time cooperating with the same criminal regime that has occupied the sacred land of Palestine for 75 years, killed hundreds of thousands of people, and displaced millions, the true priorities of that country must be questioned and its hidden motivations must be fully examined.

A clear example of this duality can also be observed in Azerbaijan's diplomatic conduct.

During Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations General Assembly, more than seventy delegations left the chamber. Azerbaijan was among the countries whose representatives remained in the hall. This behavior can be interpreted as criticism of Azerbaijan's policy and, when viewed alongside the country's close relations with the Zionist regime, takes on greater political significance.

The issue is not merely a seat or a presence in the hall.

The fundamental question is: When governments are forced to choose between slogans and action, where does the real difference between their policies become apparent?

On the one hand, Azerbaijan considers itself part of the Islamic world and attaches great importance to relations with Muslim countries in its foreign policy. In February 2026, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs even stated that developing relations with Muslim and Arab countries, alongside respect for the two-state solution for Palestine, was one of the priorities of the country's foreign policy.

On the other hand, the same government officially describes its relations with the Israeli regime as “strategic.”

This reality demonstrates that in Baku's foreign policy, it is not necessarily religion or declared principles that determine political action; rather, political, economic, security, and geopolitical interests play the determining role.

Of course, a society cannot be equated with the foreign policy of its government. The subject of this article is not the people of Azerbaijan, but the policies that the government of this country has pursued over the years.

In recent years, Baku has sought to establish and expand its relations simultaneously with various powers and to use its geopolitical position to increase its political and economic influence. In the case of the Israeli regime, this cooperation has gone far beyond energy and trade and has also encompassed defense and security.

From the perspective of the Azerbaijani government, this policy can be regarded as the preservation of national interests and the creation of a form of regional balance.

However, from the perspective of critics and the Islamic world, such an approach represents an example of opportunistic and dual policies; a policy in which declared principles matter only as long as they do not conflict with the government's strategic interests.

Ultimately, the issue is not merely the relationship between Azerbaijan and the Zionist regime. The issue is how far a government can distance itself between what it says about Palestine, the Islamic world, and its declared principles and what it actually does, while still expecting this contradiction to be ignored.

When slogans and actions move in different directions, what reveals a government's real policy is not its statements, but its practical choices.

Author: Gouya Roshan

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