Baku as a bridge between Turkey and Israel: Roman Gurevich on Azerbaijan's mediating role
Azerbaijan's role as a possible mediator in normalizing relations between Israel and Turkey, as well as its strategic significance in the region, became the central topics of discussion on the air of Israel's "Channel 9."
Political strategist and honorary ambassador of the World Jewish Agency "Sokhnut" in Azerbaijan Roman Gurevich shared his assessment of the situation.
According to the expert, today, when Azerbaijan's possible role as a mediator between Israel and Turkey is being discussed at a high level, there remains hope that President Ilham Aliyev will manage to establish at least an indirect dialogue between the parties — if not a direct one, then through Baku.
Gurevich noted that at the moment contacts between Turkey and Israel continue through various channels. At the same time, the American channel of communication is working less successfully: the level of trust in it in Israel has significantly declined after the resonant statements of the U.S. special representative for Syria. The political strategist emphasized that within the president's administration itself, many from Donald Trump's inner circle have also criticized his assessment of Israel's actions in the Syrian direction.
Against this backdrop, Azerbaijan's position looks exceptional. As the expert stated, a truly unique situation has developed in the region: the leadership of Azerbaijan is trusted by the leaders of the most diverse and often opposing states. In particular, Baku enjoys a high level of trust from the leadership of Israel, Syria, and Turkey. In turn, Azerbaijan constantly uses its resources and influence to stabilize the overall situation in the region.
Nevertheless, the speaker recalled that every mediator has its own motives. This is clearly visible in the example of the work of mediators in the negotiation processes between the United States and Iran, as well as between Israel and Hamas.
Azerbaijan's main interest lies precisely in regional stability, since a conflict between its key partners is categorically not beneficial for Baku. Azerbaijan has absolutely no need for war — only arms dealers profit from military actions. At the same time, Turkey acts as Baku's closest ally, and Israel as a strategic partner.
In addition to the political factor, the economy and energy play an important role. In the expert's opinion, a peaceful Syria is theoretically capable of becoming an important hub for energy flows bypassing Iran — in transit through Syrian and Turkish territory directly into Europe. In essence, Azerbaijan has already been building precisely this strategic architecture for quite a long time.
It was noted that energy flows from Azerbaijan are already going through Turkey to Israel, just as Azerbaijani gas is supplied to the European market. The formation of such an integral energy system provides not only multibillion-dollar revenues, but also makes it possible to completely bypass Iran, creating a real alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.
In conclusion, Roman Gurevich emphasized Azerbaijan's ability to build and maintain balance in its relations with key global and regional players. Despite the fact that after the events of October 7 serious external pressure was exerted on Baku demanding that it reconsider its cooperation with Israel, the country remained faithful to its line and did not terminate this partnership. Azerbaijan's leadership once again demonstrated its ability to firmly defend national interests and to make foreign policy partners take the country's position into account.
