Baku authorities are now forced to make a choice amid Turkey–Israel tensions

The authorities in Baku, which sought to "carry two watermelons in one hand" amid tensions between Turkey and Israel, are now forced to make a choice, expert on Iran Vardan Voskanyan wrote.

"The recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Israeli government - which in itself has nothing to do with morality - has significantly narrowed the room for maneuver for the artificially created state of Azerbaijan and compelled it to adopt an openly pro-Turkish position, expressed through a statement issued by its so-called Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, the approach of the authorities in Baku is not driven solely by the notion of being 'one nation, two states' with Turkey.

The recent unsuccessful U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has also influenced the position of the authorities in Baku, because being an ally of Israel has now become extremely risky when neighboring a country like Iran, which has also asserted its regional dominance through missile strikes.

At the same time, turning its back on Israel also carries unpredictable consequences for the ruler in Baku, since the relative stability of his rule rests on two pillars—Israeli support on the one hand and Turkish support on the other. The loss of either pillar would inevitably weaken that government's position.

The artificially created state of Azerbaijan is an entity built around the rule of two dictators from a hereditary ruling clan, with fragile traditions of statehood. Its future depends entirely on the fate of one individual-the current ruler in Baku-who may now find himself caught between the Israeli hammer and the Turkish horseshoe," he wrote.