Israel’s official recognition of the Armenian Genocide on Sunday has sparked angry reactions from Ankara and Baku, while official Yerevan has remained largely silent.
The Israeli cabinet unanimously approved on Sunday a Genocide recognition resolution which was proposed by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and must be approved by the country’s parliament.
“Despite the extensive and unambiguous historical documentation, the Armenian Genocide remains to this day the subject of an institutionalized campaign of denial and minimization, including a manipulative rewriting of history, mainly by the Turkish government,” Saar told the cabinet. “It is widely believed that the Ottoman Empire committed crimes amounting to genocide in a systematic manner, with the aim of destroying the Armenian people.”
The office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey called the Israeli recognition “nothing short of hypocrisy,” accusing Israel of using “historical events as a political weapon.”
“Israel’s recognition of the events of 1915 as a so-called ‘genocide’ is nothing more than a futile attempt to cover up the blood of innocent Palestinians shed by its own hands, its own state terrorism in the Middle East, and its crimes against humanity committed with impunity,” Erdogan’s press secretary Burhanettin Duran said in a post on X.
The presidential spokesperson said, “the greatest irony in the history of mankind is that today the very same people who, in violation of international law, are constantly bombing hospitals, schools, holy sites, and refugee camps are speaking about moral and historical duty.”
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry expressed “serious concern” about Israel’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide, urging that country’s government to reconsider its decision.
“Such actions do not contribute to reconciliation or mutual understanding. Instead, they deepen existing divisions and undermine efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region,” the Azerbaijani foreign ministry said.
“Azerbaijan remains firmly committed to upholding historical truth, respecting the principles of international law, and promoting lasting peace and stability in the region,” the statement added.
Meanwhile official Yerevan has remained mum about the matter, with the Foreign Ministry and high-ranking ruling Civil Contract members avoiding the subject all together.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday was asked about the government’s position on the matter.
“We see no need to respond, because we believe that not engaging in weaponizing the Armenian Genocide is in the interests of the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan said in response to a question from Azatutyun.am.
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