Amid escalating tensions with its large southern neighbour Iran, the Republic of Azerbaijan on Thursday announced the appointment of its first-ever ambassador to Israel, less than two months after approving the opening of an embassy in Tel Aviv.
The role will be filled by Azerbaijan’s Deputy Education Minister Mukhtar Mammadov, according to local and Hebrew media reports. As deputy minister, Mammadov had been responsible for cooperative projects with Israel in the fields of science and education.
The appointment was made a day after Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Azerbaijan Fariz Rzayev landed in Israel for an official visit. In remarks upon landing, Rzayev said that following his country’s decision to open an embassy in Israel, “the sky is the limit” for the two countries’ bilateral ties.
