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Azerbaijan could play active role in peace initiatives in Middle East - Israel's Former FM

14 March 2025 15:08 (UTC +04:00)

"Bringing together current and former leaders from various countries to Baku to discuss the global problems we face is a very important idea," said Israel's Former Foreign Minister Tsipi Livni, participating at the XII Global Baku Forum, in in her statement to APA .

According to her, this has been made possible primarily due to the initiative and hospitality of President Ilham Aliyev: "Therefore, I positively assess the efforts in this regard."

The former Foreign Minister also touched upon the recent developments in the Middle East: "I have participated in the last two rounds of negotiations on resolving the Middle East issue. I believe that the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be carried out within acceptable options and mutual understanding for both sides. The way to completely eliminate this issue lies in the well-known two-state principle. This principle must also guarantee security for Israel."

Tsipi Livni clarified the conditions under which these principles could be guaranteed: “Unambiguously, it is under the condition that HAMAS is forced to make peace. This is because they are not fighting for any legitimate ideology for the Palestinian people. What has happened was not just terrorist attacks targeting infrastructure. Taking all factors into account, I can say that in such circumstances, HAMAS cannot remain in power as a legitimate political force.”

The former minister emphasized that security in the Middle East can only be ensured through an alliance: “A strong political alliance consisting of Israel, along with the pragmatic political forces of Palestine, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, should be formed .”

She noted that Azerbaijan and Türkiye could play an active role in these initiatives: “Because these countries have always supported security and stability in Israel, and we have very good relations with them. The resolution of the processes that occurred after October 7 depends on the leaders.”