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“We call on the Israeli government to reconsider this decision,” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
By United with Israel Staff
Azerbaijan on Monday sharply criticized Israel’s decision to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide, urging Jerusalem to reverse what it called a deeply concerning move.
In a statement posted on X, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said Israel’s recognition of the “so-called Armenian genocide” was “of serious concern” and accused the Israeli government of politicizing history.
“Distortion of historical truths regarding the events of 1915 and turning complex historical processes into the subject of political decisions, far from legal and scientific foundations, are unacceptable,” the ministry said.
It argued that the decision would deepen regional divisions rather than promote reconciliation, adding, “We call on the Israeli government to reconsider this decision.”
The criticism came one day after Israel’s government unanimously approved a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide, marking a historic shift in policy after decades of avoiding formal recognition.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who introduced the resolution, called the move “a moral and historical duty.”
“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” Sa’ar wrote following the Cabinet vote. “Israel joins 32 countries that have fulfilled a moral duty by recognizing the historical truth and rejecting attempts to deny it.”
The Armenian Genocide refers to the mass killing and deportation of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire beginning in 1915. More than 30 countries, including the United States, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, and Argentina, have formally recognized the atrocities as genocide.
The dispute comes at a delicate moment for Israel’s regional diplomacy. While relations with neighboring Turkey have sharply deteriorated in recent months amid increasingly hostile rhetoric from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ties between Israel and Azerbaijan have steadily deepened.
The two countries have maintained close diplomatic relations since 1992, with cooperation spanning defense, intelligence, energy, and technology. Azerbaijan further strengthened the relationship by opening an embassy in Israel in 2023, reflecting the growing strategic partnership between the two nations.
Despite Baku’s criticism over the genocide recognition, the broader Israeli-Azerbaijani relationship remains one of Israel’s closest strategic partnerships in the region.
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