Pashinyan distances Armenia from Israel’s genocide recognition push

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has commented for the first time on Israel's ongoing effort to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide, saying that he would not get involved in the matter.

“We see no need to respond because we believe that refraining from entering into the issue of the weaponization of the Armenian Genocide is in the interests of the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan said during a briefing with journalists on Monday. 

This followed the Israeli cabinet’s unanimous adoption on Sunday of a draft resolution introduced by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar recognizing the 1915 mass killings as genocide. 

Although many international outlets have already reported the decision as formal recognition by Israel, the measure still needs to pass the Knesset before becoming official state policy. A date for the vote has so far not been announced. 

Pashinyan’s statement was far more cautious compared to his welcoming of US President Joe Biden’s recognition of the genocide on April 24, 2021, who became the first sitting American leader to use the word genocide since a singular use by Ronald Reagan in 1981 that he never repeated due to pressure from Turkey. 

Pashinyan replied to Biden saying: “I highly appreciate your principled position, which is a powerful step on the way to acknowledging the truth, historical justice, and an invaluable support for the descendants of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.” 

The change in tone is believed to be rooted in the Armenian government’s latest efforts to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey, ongoing since 2022. While there has been some limited progress in recent months, with Ankara removing a bureaucratic restriction that previously prevented businesses direct trade with Armenia, major goals such as the exchange of ambassadors and the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border remain unfulfilled. 

Many Armenians are skeptical of Israel’s recognition effort, viewing the sudden decision to take up the issue as directly tied to ongoing tensions with Turkey rather than taking a moral stance. The Turkish Foreign Ministry echoed similar sentiments in a scathing condemnation of the cabinet decision issued on Sunday, saying Israel “seeks to cover up its own crimes [in Gaza] through the political decision it has adopted regarding the events of 1915.”

Armenian relations with Israel have been strained for years for a range of reasons, including Israel’s extensive military cooperation with Azerbaijan, particularly during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. The Israeli lobby also fought for decades against international recognition of the Armenian Genocide due to its then-close relations with Turkey. Yerevan has sought closer ties, establishing an embassy in Tel Aviv in 2020, but the move has not yet been reciprocated. 

Some Armenian organizations have welcomed the Israeli cabinet’s decision, including the DC-based lobby organization the Armenian Assembly of America, which described it as “a significant and long-overdue affirmation of historical truth.” 

In its statement, the Assembly urged the Israeli government “to ensure the sanctity of the historic Armenian Quarter and honor the rights of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem,” amid concerns over encroachment linked to development deals and attacks by some members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. 

Whether Israel’s move for recognition leads to a broader opening in Israeli-Armenian relations or remains driven by Israel’s own strategic interests remains to be seen.