Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with the Azerbaijan President Ilham Heydar Oghlu Aliyev on Dec. 13, 2016. Photo by Haim Zach/GPO.

i24 News – The Azerbaijani parliament on Friday made the historic decision to open an embassy in Israel.

The embassy in Tel Aviv will be the first embassy in Israel of a country with a Shiite majority and a Shiite government.

“I welcome the decision by the National Assembly of Azerbaijan to open an embassy in Israel,” said Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid.

“Azerbaijan is an important partner of Israel and home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the Muslim world. The decision to open an embassy reflects the depth of the relationship between our countries. This move is the result of the Israeli government’s efforts to build strong diplomatic bridges with the Muslim world.”

“I want to thank President Ilham Aliyev and congratulate the Azeri people who will now be represented for the first time in the State of Israel.”

In the same session on Friday, the parliament decided that Azerbaijan will also open a representative office in Ramallah, the capital of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.