Responding to journalists' questions about the country's possible participation in operations to stabilize the situation in the Gaza Strip, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev noted that a clear understanding of the type of operation and the potential mandate is essential for making a decision.
"We have experience participating in peacekeeping operations in Iraq, and before that in Kosovo, and, of course, in Afghanistan, so we know the structure of operations very well. Regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip, we still don't think it's clear who will issue the mandate and what it will be. Will these be peacekeeping or peace enforcement operations, as they say in English. These are two different things. We are naturally not prepared for the latter, and have never even considered our participation. As for our peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan, fortunately, and in part thanks to our position, we have not had a single casualty." "That is, there have been no casualties over all these years, precisely because we saw our role as protecting strategic facilities. We have never participated in military operations, and I do not even consider participating in military operations outside of Azerbaijan," the head of state shared.
He also emphasized that his country, which suffered aggression and suffered great losses in the First and Second Karabakh Wars, values every Azerbaijani citizen and has "no intention of risking the lives and health of Azerbaijanis for anyone."
"When we were in trouble, we were abandoned to our fate. No one protected us. And including, with all due respect and sympathy for Palestine, Palestine didn't particularly protect us either. Yes, there were resolutions of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which were supported by everyone. We are grateful to all countries for this, just as Azerbaijan has always supported Palestine and the creation of the State of Palestine in the UN, the Alignment Movement, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation." The Palestinian embassy operates in Azerbaijan, in part thanks to Azerbaijan's financial assistance. Therefore, I have always believed that the affairs of Arab countries should be decided by Arab countries themselves. And I remain deeply convinced that non-Arab Muslim countries should not get ahead of themselves. This will lead to nothing good. There is the Arab League, and the Arab League's position is quite clear, and we follow it. There are decisions of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and we have made these decisions, among other things, and we follow them. Therefore, displaying unnecessary activity and, again, getting ahead of ourselves is not the best thing to do," the president explained his position.
Furthermore, Aliyev expressed dissatisfaction with the statement by the US Ambassador to the UN that Baku had allegedly consented to participation in certain actions in the Middle East.
"We did not give consent, and through diplomatic channels we conveyed to the American administration that such false statements are unacceptable; they create a false picture," the Azerbaijani leader emphasized.
He suggested that these actions could be an attempt by the US to "lure someone else into this process," noting that "this is absolutely unacceptable."
"We compiled a questionnaire of more than 20 questions and submitted it to the American side. Until these questions are clarified, Azerbaijan's participation in any mission is not envisaged," Ilham Aliyev concluded.
Against the backdrop of the Gaza war, the topic of energy cooperation between Baku and Tel Aviv has repeatedly become the subject of harsh criticism in the Muslim segment of social media. Users accused Azerbaijan of supporting the Israeli economy, even indirectly, during the military operation and making Baku an indirect participant in the conflict. These accusations were especially harsh given the Azerbaijani authorities' official statements of solidarity with the Palestinian people and their attempts to distance themselves from direct involvement in Israeli military logistics. Specifically, users pointed to data from international monitoring projects, including Oil Change International, according to which Azerbaijani Azeri BTC crude oil continued to flow into Israeli ports via Turkey's Ceyhan Port. Publications and comments claimed that these shipments, regardless of their formal registration through traders, contribute to the Israeli economy's energy supply during the period of active hostilities.
