A final decision on deploying Azerbaijani peacekeepers to the Gaza Strip has not yet been made. This was stated by Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, in an interview with Nikkei.
The issue has been under discussion for quite some time. Recently, U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN Mike Waltz claimed that countries such as Azerbaijan and Indonesia had allegedly already agreed to send their forces to Gaza as part of an international contingent.
Hikmet Hajiyev has now clarified the situation: Azerbaijan would find it difficult to participate in a mission under a U.S.-mediated ceasefire plan due to the lack of clarity regarding the mandate. Washington has indeed approached Baku with a proposal to include Azerbaijani servicemen in so-called “International Stabilization Forces,” but no final decision has been taken. Moreover, the UN Security Council resolution does not contain clear provisions on the rules of engagement or the scope of the mission’s mandate.
From our side, it is worth noting that Azerbaijani servicemen have solid experience in international peacekeeping operations, including missions in which the United States played a leading role. Azerbaijani peacekeepers served for a considerable period in Kosovo and withdrew after Western countries recognized the former Yugoslav region as an independent state. Azerbaijani troops also served in Iraq as part of an international contingent. Finally, Azerbaijani peacekeepers were among the last to leave Afghanistan, where they ensured security at Kabul International Airport. It is therefore understandable that today, as the United States is determined to introduce international forces into the Gaza Strip and relations between Baku and Washington are clearly improving, many in Washington would like to make use of Azerbaijan’s peacekeeping experience.
However, the situation is far from simple. And the lack of clarity over the mandate, we would add, is only the tip of the iceberg.
First and foremost, there is no unified position on a peacekeeping contingent even between the opposing parties themselves — Israel and Hamas. Consent from the parties to the conflict is the primary condition for the success of any international operation, if it is to be a peacekeeping mission at all. Otherwise, it becomes an “operation to enforce peace,” in which the international contingent is far from neutral — and that carries a very different political cost.
Moreover, the issue of peacekeepers in the Gaza Strip is extremely “explosive” from a political standpoint. Opinions and positions differ sharply both within Azerbaijani society and among entire countries. Among those countries are states with which Azerbaijan maintains very important relations.
Turkey, for example, categorically condemns Israel’s actions in Gaza. For Azerbaijan, Turkey is a truly brotherly country: Baku and Ankara cooperate across many spheres and have concluded a military alliance. At the same time, Azerbaijan has established a partnership with Israel, encompassing high technologies, the aerospace sector, digital development, and, of course, arms supplies. The military parade held on November 8, 2025, marking the fifth anniversary of victory in Karabakh, leaves no doubt in this regard.
For these reasons, any political steps and any major decisions concerning the Middle East require a very high degree of caution from Azerbaijan — especially when the proposed peacekeeping mandate is unclear and there is no consensus on that mandate, or on the tasks of the peacekeepers in particular, neither among the warring parties nor among “third countries.” This is why Azerbaijan is acting cautiously. And that caution is more than justified.
A. Shakur
