Lieberman on official visit to Azerbaijan

FM to meet top Baku officials amid reports Mossad using Muslim republic to gather intel on Iran

Attila Somfalvi|Published: 04.22.12 , 19:15

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is expected to arrive in Azerbaijan Sunday evening for an official visit amid reports that Mossad has been operating in the Muslim republic to gather intelligence on Iran.

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During his visit to the small Eurasian country which shares a border with Iran, Lieberman is scheduled to meet President Ilham Aliyev and other high-ranking officials.

Israel's top diplomat is also expected to speak at an event marking 20 years since the Jewish state and Azerbaijan established diplomatic relations. He is also set to attend the dedication of a renovated Israeli culture center and meet with Jewish community leaders in Baku.

Western media have reported that ties between Jerusalem and Baku have grown stronger as of late. A senior US official told the Foreign Policy magazine that Israel has secured access to airbases in Azerbaijan, possibly as part of its preparation for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

The magazine further reported that the two countries have signed a $1.6 billion arms deal, which will see Israel supply Azerbaijan with sophisticated drones and missile-defense systems.

In February the London Times published an interview with a man claiming to be an Azerbaijan-based agent the Israeli intelligence agency, who confirmed the existence of a Mossad base in the country.

The man, identified in the article as "Shimon," told the paper that there were dozens of Israeli Mossad agents working out of the base.