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Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan: Azerbaijanâ€™s any proposal for the settlement of the relations between Israel and Arab world would be important for us â€“ INTERVIEW

26 August 2009 15:47 (UTC +04:00)

Profile. Michael Lavon Lotem has been working in Israeli Foreign Ministry for 18 years. He worked in Europe and Asia. He has come to Azerbaijan together with his 10-year-old son. His wife and 15-year-old son remained in Israel. His wife is a psychologist. If there are projects to improve psychology, his wife may come to Azerbaijan.

- How do you see the potential of the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Israel?

- I am satisfied with the action that both countries and both leaders took. There is much that we can and should do. What counts is not only the wish but the decision to do it.

- Do you see any changes in our relations after the visit of Israeli President Shimon Perez?

- Yes, I do. But you know every sort of relationships is like the one between human beings. Without these relations it is impossible to achieve improvement.

I see the intention and decision to improve these relationships following the meeting of the two presidents. Of course, it will take time to carry out certain activities, it would have been inadmissible, if we had declared something soon after the visit. It will take a couple of months to initiate projects. Yesterday we met with the officials of AZPROMO, a number of issues were discussed. But it will take time to advance the issues. But I see the beginning. We have a Jewish community which is of social importance here. We try to use their help in the improvement of trade and economic relations. There is a great interest in Israel to learn the changes and development in Azerbaijan, this brings our countries closer.

- There are reports that Azerbaijan will mediate between Israel and Arab world. Are they true?

- There have been a lot of mediators in the last 20 years, some results have been produced. I think the main reason to produce results is the intention of the sides to solve the conflict. Mediation and offer of a country like Azerbaijan would be very interesting and important for us.

The personality of the leader is more important in the mediation than the power of the country. There were a lot of mediators, they tried to play some role, but failed. For example, more results are achieved in the US during the presidency of one president, while fewer results are achieved in the presidency of another. Much depends on the personality, potential of the leaders. In this respect, your country has broad opportunities. Your president is capable of this, his assistance would be very effective.

- Why has Israel begun bombing Gaza? Can this operation turn into war?

- It is continuous buildup of the terror infrastructure in Gaza. There are attempts to construct tunnels, carry weapons, rockets there. We want to prevent it.

- When will Israel buy gas from Azerbaijan?

- There is a need to build infrastructure. We should do it in Israel, we should build infrastructure in order to turn liquid gas into household gas. The situation is the same concerning the pipeline. After the solution of these problems, it will be possible to buy gas. There is a need for electricity in Israel, 30 percent of the electricity is derived from gas, we want to extend these opportunities. As I have mentioned, we consume 10,000 megawatts of electricity and want to extend the opportunities.

- Do Israelis use Azerbaijanâ€™s tourism potential?

- Direct flights should be ensured. Azerbaijanâ€™s tourism potential is very high, I visited Gabala and witnessed it myself. Our tourists travel to the countries of the region, I do not see any reason why they should not come to Azerbaijan. Of course, Israel should be informed about this potential. A good idea may be put forward for cooperation. The visit of a group of persons from Israel may be organized. Of course, do not forget the importance of direct flights.

It is important how tourists will come here. They should be sure that they will be able to travel easily, directly without paying much. If people pay high prices, of course they will hesitate over traveling. I think the more companies are involved, the more you have competition, the easier it will be to involve tourists to Azerbaijan.

- Has the problem with AzAL solved?

- Unfortunately, there is no improvement in this field. We thought that it will take shorter time for a dialogue to start. Dialogue is necessary to achieve something. If there is a monologue we can achieve nothing. Israelâ€™s Arkia company wants to operate flights to Azerbaijan, negotiations should be carried out for this purpose.

- Have you met with the Jewish community in Azerbaijan? Have you visited Guba?

- The consul of the embassy and I have already met with over 10 leaders of the Jewish community. We visited Guba, got acquainted with the Jewish community. This Jewish community differs from the others. I met with the Jewish communities in a number of countries. The Jewish community in Azerbaijan is different. They live in the open, friendly society. Jews in Eastern Europe or in other countries have difficulties in expressing themselves, problems concerning synagogues. But in Baku and Guba I saw noticeable synagogues, this community has quite a different way of thinking. It was valuable for me.