Aliyev backs Palestinian statehood with East Jerusalem as capital

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev voiced his country’s backing for an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem serving as its capital, according to a statement released by the Azerbaijani presidency on Thursday.

The remarks came during a meeting between Aliyev and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, where the Azerbaijani leader said he expected the visit to strengthen the fraternal ties between Azerbaijan and Palestine. The presidency’s statement quoted Aliyev as stressing that Azerbaijan supports the creation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

According to the statement, Mustafa relayed greetings from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Aliyev asked him to pass along his own greetings in return. Mustafa acknowledged that Palestine currently faces a difficult situation and said he hoped Palestinians would overcome it with support from friendly nations. He thanked Aliyev for the assistance Azerbaijan has extended to Palestine, including its stated intention to build a secondary school in the Palestinian territories as a form of humanitarian aid.

The two leaders also discussed the opening of an Azerbaijani representative office in Ramallah and Baku’s decision to cover operating costs for the Palestinian Embassy in Azerbaijan, both of which the statement described as signs of the strength of bilateral relations between the two countries.

The meeting also revisited Azerbaijan’s earlier financial support for Palestine, including five million dollars in assistance provided after Baku hosted the Conference on the Establishment of an Islamic Financial Safety Net and the Conference of Donor Countries on Financing the Sector Plan for the Development of the City of Jerusalem in 2013. The statement noted that Azerbaijan continues to support Palestinians through the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees.

Officials also highlighted educational cooperation between the two countries, noting that 23 of 37 Palestinian students studying in Azerbaijan are doing so through the Heydar Aliyev International Education Grant program. Mustafa expressed appreciation to Aliyev for this initiative during the meeting.

Discussions between the two leaders additionally touched on trade cooperation, including proposals to allow Palestinian agricultural products to enter Azerbaijan on preferential terms.

The meeting reflects a broader pattern of diplomatic engagement between Azerbaijan and Palestinian officials that has continued for more than a decade, spanning humanitarian assistance, educational exchange and institutional cooperation. Azerbaijan’s position on Palestinian statehood aligns it with a large number of countries around the world that have recognized Palestinian claims to East Jerusalem as a future capital, a stance that continues to draw objections from Israel, which regards the entire city as its unified capital. The timing of the visit also comes against the backdrop of intensifying violence in Gaza, adding further weight to discussions between Palestinian officials and international partners over continued diplomatic and humanitarian support.