"THE JEWS ARE PROUD TO LIVE HERE"

Israeli Ambassador Rafael Harpaz started his mission in Azerbaijan just over six months ago. Having succeeded Michael Lavon-Lotem in this post, the career diplomat with more than 20 years of experience has already managed to get closely acquainted with Baku and Azerbaijanis. He says he feels at home here. The ambassador is also pleased with the level of Azerbaijani-Israeli relations. But he still believes that there is much to be done to deepen cooperation between the two countries. Ahead of the 65th anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel, we asked the ambassador for an interview, and he kindly agreed to answer our questions.

- Congratulations, Mr Ambas-sador, we wish peace and prosperity to the people of Israel! Let me ask about your impressions about the first few months of your work in Azerbaijan?

- Thank you for your congratulations! Azerbaijanis made the best impression on me. As an ambassador, I feel at home here. Of course, I want to add here the excellent relations between the two countries. The policy laid by former President Heydar Aliyev is continued by the current president, Ilham Aliyev. Azerbaijan and Israel have special relations. In general, I want to say that the Israelis and Azerbaijanis have some similarities. Like the Israelis, Azerbaijanis are very sincere, cordial and loyal people. We share common values. Despite the fact that Azerbaijan is a young country and gained independence only 21 years ago, it has already made great progress in many areas.

- Before starting to work in Azerbaijan as an ambassador, you, as a diplomat, certainly studied this country. What area interested you most of all and why?

- Before Azerbaijan, I worked in Washington DC. While there, I studied Azerbaijan and had contacts with your embassy. I even worked as head of the Department of Economy at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There I read experts' reviews about Azerbaijan. As I worked in the Department of Economy, the activities of Azerbaijan in this field caught my attention. In your country, the economy is growing rapidly and there is a favourable environment for business. Azerbaijan has great tourism potential.

After independence, your country decided to integrate with the West and directed its energy pipelines there - the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, TANAP. This is a historic decision. Azerbaijan also supports the NATO forces in Afghanistan. It is tolerant, particularly with regard to the Jews. This is appreciated by Israel and the international community. I consider myself not only Israel's ambassador to Azerbaijan, but also Azerbaijan's ambassador to Israel. Azerbaijanis love Israel very much. I fell in love with Azerbaijani culture. I went to mugam concerts several times. I should note that Israel is one of the few countries where people listen to mugam.

- What is the significance of our countries for each other?

- After independence, Azerbaijan established very good relations with Israel. The former and current leaders of Israel have good relations with Azerbaijan, and these relations continue to this day. The recent meeting between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Israel at the Davos forum and the meeting between Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov at the security conference in Munich point to very good political relations. We appreciate excellent bilateral relations between the two countries. Along with political connections, the development of economic cooperation is also important to the parties. We are glad that Azerbaijan is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and plays a constructive role there.

- Israel is cooperating with Azerbaijan in energy, security, defence and other areas. What can you say about the prospects of this cooperation?

- As far as relations in the field of energy are concerned, Israel buys oil from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has extensive and rich experience in the field of energy. Israel discovered onshore gas deposits after years of exploration. It is very important for us to study the experience of Azerbaijan in this field. We do not have any experience in the field of energy. We have just recently set up a fund like your Oil Fund. Now discussions are under way in Israel about the countries where our natural gas resources should be exported and their prices. So for us it is important to study your experience. Our first gas field TAMAR was put into operation recently. In a few years' time, the Leviathan natural gas field will be put into operation. This deposit is considered to be one of the world's largest natural gas fields discovered at the beginning of the 21st century. This is a very important event for Israel. In the future, Israel will get more profit from oil. But we do not want the economy to depend on it. In Israel, the non-oil sector is highly developed, and it forms the foundation of our economy. It is important to maintain a balance of development in both sectors.

- What does the word TAMAR mean?

- TAMAR means a persimmon. My sister-in-law is also named Tamar.

- I would like to talk about the Jewish community's relations with Azerbaijan. Generally, the Jews have rich experience when it comes to communities. To which extent is Azerbaijan using these links?

- The Jewish community has special historical ties with Azerbaijan. In our relations, the Jewish community is also an important aspect. Here they have treated and treat the Jews with high respect. In Azerbaijan, there is no anti-Semitism. In my opinion, Azerbaijan is a tolerant country and can serve as a model for other countries. Jews are proud to live here. And they live in a very safe environment. In Israel, there is, too, an Azerbaijani community of about 80,000 people.

I have a very close relationship with the Jewish community in America. I have information that in June of this year the American Jewish Committee will award Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. I have close relations with your ambassador to the United States, Elin Suleymanov. We kept in touch during my work in Washington. I would like to say that you have a very professional diplomat. Each country should be proud of such a professional diplomat.

- The Israeli Knesset has not yet recognized the genocide in Xocali. Why do you think it has not happened yet?

- First of all, I want to say that the events in Xocali are a terrible tragedy. I have been in Baku for seven months now and have had meetings with many Azerbaijanis. The first question touched upon in conversations with them was the issue of Karabakh. I know that this is a very important issue not only for your state, but also for ordinary citizens. I have met with IDPs too. On the issue of Karabakh, Israel has a very clear position. In connection with this position, I would like to recall the statements of President Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. We hope for a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh issue. We approach this from our own experience, because we know how much we had to suffer. Peace is the best solution. We support the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Inshallah, you will achieve peace.

- Despite our rather friendly relations, Azerbaijan still has no embassy in Israel...

- We think that after 21 years, it is time to do it and are looking forward to it. But it depends on the decision of the Azerbaijani government.

- Can we expect an increase in trade between the two countries in the near future?

- I would like to touch on a number of issues in relation to trade. Israeli firms are engaged in business in Azerbaijan in many areas. An Azerbaijani delegation led by Minister of Economic Development Sahin Mustafayev visited Israel to discuss trade and economic relations. Last year, Azerbaijan was visited by the Israel ministers of energy and agriculture. In addition, an Israel-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce is being set up. The work is in its final stage. This chamber will serve the further development of relations. Today I see the growing interest of Israel's private sector in Azerbaijan.

- I would like to ask you about the recent visit of US President Barack Obama to the Middle East. Do you think that this visit will have any positive impact on Israeli-Turkish and Israeli-Palestinian relations? Also, Israel apologized to Turkey in connection with the attack on the Mavi Marmara ship carrying humanitarian aid to Palestine. What will the normalization of these relations give the region?

- As you know, at the end of Obama's visit there was a telephone conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey and Israel have long historical ties covering many areas. The two countries have always had common interests. There are also common interests between the two countries in the light of recent developments in the region. We see that relations are moving towards normalization. Both countries have very good relations with the United States. The events in Syria and Iran are occurring almost on our doorstep, which is why countries like ours need to be in close relations. The two countries have very close economic and business relations, which have continued over the past years. Turkish Airlines is considered the largest foreign airline to fly to Israel. We are working closely in the field of tourism. Israelis visit Turkey, and Turks implement projects in Israel. Both countries have their embassies.

As far as the Israeli-Palestinian issue is concerned, we are ready for peace without any preconditions. Israel is ready to immediately start negotiations. The Gaza Strip is controlled by Hamas, a terrorist organization that is sponsored, trained and financed by Iran and other extremist organizations. During President Obama's visit to Israel, a rocket attack was carried out on Sderot from Gaza, and only by sheer luck was no one hurt. When we left Gaza in 2005 and gave up 100 per cent of these territories, we expected a 100-per-cent peace, but we got thousands of missiles instead.

- Azerbaijan is closely cooperating with both Israel and Iran. Do tensions between the two countries affect relations with Azerbaijan?

- It is necessary to understand the issue of Iran correctly. Iran is a threat not only to Israel but to the entire world community. If Iran becomes a nuclear country, it can make any country a nuclear state. Israel will not cope with this issue alone, and the efforts of the international community are required. Today very powerful sanctions are being applied. The sanctions affect Iran's economy, especially in the energy sector. But, unfortunately, they still do not lead to changes in their nuclear policy. In this matter, we all hope for a peaceful solution. In the last few years, Iran has been deceiving and cheating the international community. The Iranians should know that all options are on the table. Second, in the international arena Iran is one of the countries funding and supporting terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah. Third, it is the religious ideology of Iran. A combination of this radical ideology and the nuclear issue is a big threat. In addition, Iran has problems with human rights, the death penalty and the lack of a free press. The last issue I want to mention is connected with the denial of the Holocaust by the leaders of Iran.

The Israeli people have no problem with the Iranian people. But they call for the destruction of the State of Israel. A member country of the UN is making statements about the destruction of another member state. The Jewish state exists, and we are able to defend ourselves.