Turkey, Azerbaijan Condemn Israel’s Armenian Genocide Recognition Proposal
By The Media Line Staff
Turkey and Azerbaijan condemned Israel’s proposal to recognize the Armenian genocide on Sunday after the measure was unanimously approved by the Cabinet, with both Baku urging Israel to reverse the decision before it proceeds to the Knesset for final approval.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry criticized the Cabinet’s action, saying, “The decision by the Israeli government concerning the so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ is a matter of serious concern.” It added that “The distortion of the historical facts surrounding the events of 1915, and the reduction of a complex historical issue to a political decision without a sound legal or scholarly basis, are unacceptable.”
The ministry said the move would not improve ties with Jerusalem, adding, “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. We call on the Israeli government to reconsider this decision.”
Turkey, whose relations with Israel have deteriorated since the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, issued a stronger rebuke, describing the proposal as politically motivated.
“The Israeli government, which has systematically persecuted the Palestinian people before the eyes of the entire world and is being tried at the International Court of Justice on charges of committing genocide against the people of Gaza, is seeking to cover up its own crimes through the political decision it has adopted regarding the events of 1915,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said.
It added, “Turkey will continue to work resolutely to bring an end to Israel’s expansionist and destabilizing policies in the region.”
The proposal, introduced by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, was unanimously approved by the Cabinet on Sunday and will now proceed to the Knesset for final approval. It recognizes the mass killing of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire and calls on Israel to condemn efforts to deny or minimize the atrocities.
Explanatory text included in the proposal explains that the Armenian genocide began in April 1915 with the arrest, deportation, and killing of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals, community leaders, and members of the educated elite in Constantinople.
It says Ottoman authorities later carried out a broader campaign in which Armenian men were forced into labor before being killed, while women, children, and elderly civilians were deported on death marches toward the Syrian desert, where victims faced mass murder, rape, starvation, and dehydration.
The proposal states that approximately 1.5 million Armenians were killed and says the campaign destroyed a cultural and historical heritage that had existed across Anatolia for thousands of years. It also argues that despite what it describes as extensive historical documentation, organized efforts to deny or minimize the genocide continue, specifically citing what it calls the manipulation of history books, primarily by Turkey.
According to the proposal, 32 countries have formally recognized the Armenian genocide through parliamentary resolutions, legislation, or official declarations.
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