Israel won’t recognize 1915 as Armenian Genocide: Israeli ambassador to Baku

BAKU

A woman places a lit candle on portraits of Armenian intellectuals who were killed and deported under the Ottoman rule during the World War I, on April 24, during a commemorative march on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul. AFP Photo

Israel does not intend to recognize the killings of Armenians in 1915 as a genocide this year, Israeli Ambassador to Azerbaijan Rafael Harpaz has said, the Azerbaijani website Trend reported on Jan. 8.

“Israel is a democratic country. Everybody has two opinions [on the issue], not one,” Harpaz said.

Referring to some Israeli politicians’ call for the government to officially recognize the genocide, he said the government already has “a very clear opinion … which was earlier stated by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.”

Harpaz also expressed hope that relations between Israel and Turkey will improve.

“There are enough common interests and issues in the world for us to cooperate,” he said.

“Take the example of Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines is the biggest foreign airline active in Israel. Istanbul is the biggest hub for Israelis. The same goes for tourism and trade, which are up. So we hope that our political relations with Turkey will improve,” the ambassador added.