Sa’ar Courts Azerbaijan on Energy, AI as Baku Eyes Israeli Agri-Tech

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar deepened energy, AI, and agri-tech cooperation in Azerbaijan, with Baku keenly eyeing Israeli innovation for Karabakh.

Jerusalem, 26 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the president’s official residence in Baku, holding both a one-on-one meeting and an expanded session with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jihon Bayramov and Economy Minister Mikhail Jabbarov.

The talks focused on advancing bilateral relations, with an emphasis on deepening cooperation in energy, artificial intelligence, agriculture, water management, defense and tourism. Saar said the large business-economic delegation accompanying his visit is expected to further strengthen ties in these and other sectors.

Azerbaijan is reportedly interested in Israeli agri-tech as it rehabilitates the recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Sa’ar also invited Aliyev to visit Israel and thanked him for his support of Jewish life in Azerbaijan.

As part of his visit, Sa’ar will also meet with leaders of the local Jewish community. An estimated 16,000-30,000 Jews live in Azerbaijan.

The second leg of the trip will take Sa’ar to Astana, where he will hold meetings with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Foreign Minister Yermak Kusharbayev and other senior officials. The visit comes against the backdrop of Kazakhstan’s accession to the Abraham Accords in November, which Israel views as an opportunity to expand diplomatic and economic cooperation. While in Kazakhstan, Sa’ar will also meet Jewish community leaders and take part in an event marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Joining the minister is a senior business-economic delegation of more than 40 Israeli business leaders and representatives of government bodies. The delegation includes figures from the water and agriculture sectors, cyber and engineering industries, as well as finance, health and other fields.