The current topic of Modern.az's "Foreign Countries in Azerbaijan" project is dedicated to Palestine.
Palestine has been at the center of world media attention in recent days. This week, the recognition of Palestine's independence will be discussed within the framework of the UN General Assembly.
One of the countries doing the most work on this issue is Turkey. The leader of the brotherly country is currently on a visit to America, and the main topic on his agenda is the Palestinian issue.
Countries such as Canada, Britain, Australia, and Portugal have already recognized Palestine's independence, and several European countries are expected to take similar steps.
It should be noted that "Palestine" here refers to the Palestinian Authority currently led by Mahmoud Abbas.
Access to the country's territory, located on the West Bank of the Jordan River, is restricted, and there are no embassies there. It is only possible to travel to Palestine via Israel or through routes under Israeli control.
Today, against the backdrop of the suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, we seek answers to questions that will be of interest to Modern.az readers:
What does Palestine look like in Azerbaijan?
What is the view of Palestine from Azerbaijan?
And most importantly, what does the future of these relations depend on?
Azerbaijan recognized Palestine's independence back in 1992, a few months after gaining its own independence. The recognition was mutual.
Relations between Baku and Ramallah were primarily formed within the framework of international organizations in the early years.
Both sides supported each other in the UN, OIC, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
The Embassy of Palestine in Azerbaijan was opened in 2011.
The first ambassador, Nasir Abdul Karim Abdul Rahim, presented his credentials in 2010 and remained in this position for a long time.
As of 2025, Ahmed Metani has been appointed ambassador. Azerbaijan's status in Ramallah is at the level of a representative office, not a full embassy.
The most significant of the high-level visits was the official visit of President Mahmoud Abbas to Baku in June 2011.
In subsequent years, mutual visits by foreign ministers also continued.
Palestinians in Azerbaijan
Since the 1990s, Palestinians, mainly students and those working in the humanitarian field, have formed a small community.
Although official statistics have not been released, according to open sources, the number of Palestinians in Azerbaijan today does not exceed a few hundred people.
Some of them have acquired Azerbaijani citizenship, while others have started families with Azerbaijanis.
The young Palestinian, Muhammad Eissavi, who was martyred during the Patriotic War, is also a child of one such family.
His father came to Baku in 1998 and married an Azerbaijani woman who worked at the company where he was employed.
Eissavi, a graduate of a Baku school, participated in battles in the direction of Khojavand and Aghdam.
He was martyred on the last day of the war - November 9.
Education, cultural relations
Azerbaijan has provided scholarships to Palestinian students in various years. Most recently, 15 young Palestinians were admitted to the Heydar Aliyev International Scholarship Program for the 2024/25 academic year.
However, their arrival in Azerbaijan was delayed. A few days ago, 14 students from Gaza were brought to Baku via a special route and began their studies.
Palestine's former Minister of Justice, Mohammed al-Shalaldeh, also received master's and doctoral degrees in Azerbaijan. Some time ago, Azerbaijan undertook to build a secondary school for children in Palestine. The school will be located in Nablus, Palestine. The educational institution is designed for 600 Palestinian children. The school will expand educational opportunities for Palestinian children and will be part of Azerbaijan's humanitarian support.
In the cultural sphere, the embassy is active with "Palestine Day," film screenings, exhibitions, and various events.
Political and economic relations
Azerbaijan openly supports Palestinian statehood and the two-state solution model. President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly emphasized this position. Palestine, in turn, has unequivocally supported Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Particularly on the Karabakh issue, Palestinian officials have recognized Azerbaijan's just position. The trade volume between the two countries is small.
According to official statistics, it was 438 thousand dollars in 2019, 277 thousand in 2020, 669 thousand in 2021, and 542 thousand in 2022. The main products are consumer goods and small industrial products.
In the OIC and the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan has consistently kept the Palestinian issue on the agenda. Palestine, in turn, has supported Azerbaijan's initiatives in the Non-Aligned Movement. In June 2025, President Ilham Aliyev announced that humanitarian aid to Palestine would continue.
Azerbaijanis' attitude towards Palestine
In Azerbaijani society, the topic of Palestine has historically been at the center of discussions related to the Middle East.
Muslim identity has played an important role in Azerbaijanis' view of Palestinians. Even during the Soviet era, there was public opinion sympathetic to the Palestinian issue. During the period of independence, this attitude was also reflected in state policy.
It is no coincidence that Azerbaijan recognized Palestine in April 1992, just one year after declaring its independence. Since then, Baku has officially supported the two-state solution model and defended the rights of the Palestinian people in international organizations.
In recent years, Azerbaijan has also provided humanitarian aid amounting to millions of manats to the Palestinian population. Alongside this, contradictory points remain in the memory of Azerbaijanis. News circulated in the 1990s about military training being provided to Armenians in some Palestinian camps caused serious dissatisfaction in society.
Furthermore, the words of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 2000, "we and Armenians are one people" and "I will never betray Armenians," created a negative resonance in Azerbaijani society.
These statements have not been forgotten for many years. Another factor influencing Azerbaijanis' attitude towards Palestine is the Israel factor.
Azerbaijan has a strong political, economic, and military partnership with Israel. This partnership is sometimes explained as "Azerbaijan supports Palestine but also maintains close relations with Israel."
The reality is that Azerbaijan has always stood by humanity. And here, one point must be particularly emphasized. The fact that 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory remained under Armenian occupation for 30 years, and that Israel has always stood by Azerbaijan on this issue, is not distant history and will not be forgotten. We regretfully recall that Armenian military bandits, who were engaged in terrorism in Azerbaijani territories at the time, had also received training in Palestine.
Yes, although Azerbaijan's balanced policy is a subject of discussion in public opinion, the state's priorities are built on pursuing both solidarity with Palestine and strategic cooperation with Israel in parallel.
Azerbaijanis, who have experienced the pain and suffering of war for many years, deeply feel the horrors occurring in the Gaza Strip today. However, the Hamas movement, which controls Gaza, has not been unequivocally accepted by either the Azerbaijani state or its public. This is because Hamas's radical stance and violence-based approaches are criticized internationally. In Azerbaijan, too, the activities of this organization have never been accepted as a legitimate political force.
Currently, in the context of the existing humanitarian crisis, support is primarily directed towards the Palestinian civilian population and their just rights.
Modern Analysis and Research Group
