Asia16 July, 20263 min read
Ilham Aliyev Reaffirms Support For Independent Palestinian State With East Jerusalem Capital
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Azerbaijan backs an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Aliyev announced the stance during talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Baku.
Aliyev Meets Mustafa
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev reaffirmed support for an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital during a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Baku on July 16, 2026. The Azerbaijani presidency said Aliyev’s remarks came as Mustafa’s visit would help strengthen relations between the two nations, and the meeting also included greetings Mustafa conveyed from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Aliyev. In a separate account of the same meeting, the Press and Public Relations Department of the Milli Majlis said Speaker Sahiba Gafarova met Mustafa while he was visiting the country, and Gafarova emphasized that Azerbaijan maintains a principled position on the Palestinian issue upheld within international organizations.
“President Ilham Aliyev made the statement during a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa.”
Gafarova also said the opening of Azerbaijan’s Representative Office in Ramallah in 2023 was an important step in developing bilateral relations, and the meeting expressed satisfaction with Palestinian students studying in Azerbaijan under the "Heydar Aliyev International Education Grant" program. The WAFA Agency reported that Mustafa met Speaker Sahiba Gafarova in Baku and briefed her on steps to address financial and political challenges, including a presidential decree issued by President Mahmoud Abbas setting legislative elections for Saturday, November 28, 2026.
Accountability and Elections
WAFA said Mustafa told Gafarova that the elections aim to renew political legitimacy and ensure the participation of all citizens in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and he invited the Azerbaijani National Assembly to send an official parliamentary delegation to observe the elections. In the Milli Meclis account of the same visit, Gafarova underlined the important role of high-level visits and meetings in deepening inter-state relations and expressed confidence that Mustafa’s visit would contribute to continuing development of relations and expansion of cooperation between the two countries. The Milli Meclis report also said the meeting discussed humanitarian and, especially, education and cultural cooperation opportunities, and it lauded the Heydar Aliyev International Education Grant Programme for Palestinian students.
WAFA added that Mustafa briefed Gafarova on the severe financial crisis facing the State of Palestine due to Israeli policies, including the danger of Israel's continued withholding of Palestinian clearance funds and the illegal deduction of portions of these funds. In the same WAFA report, Gafarova stressed that sustainable stability in the Middle East can only be achieved through intensifying efforts to achieve comprehensive and just peace based on ending the occupation and applying the principles of international justice and international law.
Aid, Schools, and Diplomacy
Across the accounts of Mustafa’s visit, Azerbaijan’s support was framed as combining political backing with humanitarian and educational assistance, including plans to build a secondary school in Palestine and continued support through UNRWA. The Milli Meclis report said it was said during the conversation that the beginning of operation of Azerbaijan’s Representative office in the town of Ramallah in 2023 was an important step, and it also described Azerbaijan’s coverage of the operational expenses of the Palestinian Embassy in Baku as part of strong bilateral relations. In the Daily Times account, officials said Mustafa thanked Azerbaijan for its continued support for the two-state solution, humanitarian aid, and assistance to UNRWA, and they highlighted Azerbaijan’s representative office in Ramallah and its support for the Palestinian Embassy in Baku.
AnewZ said the meeting highlighted initiatives undertaken by Azerbaijan in support of Palestinians, including educational programmes, humanitarian assistance and diplomatic engagement, and it cited Azerbaijan’s allocation of $5 million in financial assistance following the 2013 Conference on the Establishment of the Islamic Financial Safety Net and the Donors’ Conference for the Development of Al Quds Al Sharif. The 1News.az account added that the sides appreciated that 23 Palestinian students are currently studying in Azerbaijan under the Heydar Aliyev International Education Grant, bringing the total number of Palestinian students in the country to 37, while also discussing the export of selected Palestinian agricultural products to Azerbaijan under preferential terms.