Israel and Azerbaijan to ink strategic energy agreement

Israel and Azerbaijan will sign an agreement in Jerusalem on Monday granting the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) a license for gas exploration in Israel, the Israeli Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure said on Sunday.

The accord, which is expected to strengthen Israel’s energy security, is the latest sign of the friendly ties between the Jewish state and the predominantly Shi’ite Muslim country.

The gas exploration deal will be signed during a visit to Israel by Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov, who also serves as the chairman of SOCAR, in a ceremony with Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen at his office.

SOCAR is part of a consortium including British multinational oil and gas firm BP and Israel’s NewMed Energy (formerly Delek Drilling) that won a tender from Israel’s Energy Ministry in 2023 to drill in Mediterranean fields adjacent to the country’s Leviathan field, one of the world’s largest offshore gas discoveries.

Jabbarov, who is also expected to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and senior business leaders, is the first Azerbaijani minister to visit Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel, which triggered the 15-month war in Gaza and delayed the deal.