EXPERT ARTAK GRIGORIAN: TODAY ISRAEL IS NOT READY TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan
March 30, 2010

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia and Israel independent of
their will have appeared in different poles of geopolitical processes.

Artak Grigorian, an expert of Armenian-Israeli relations expressed such
an opinion at a March 30 press conference. He mentioned that Israel has
always had warm relations with Turkey and Armenia being in a blockade
has always had warm relations with Iran. "However there are also
some other circumstances, the most important of which is the Armenian
district in Jerusalem and the activity of the monastic congregation of
Saint Jakob," A. Grigorian said. In his words, Jerusalem’s status is
still non-clarified as the Arab-Israeli negotiations have reached a
deadlock. According to the expert, the word of Jerusalem’s Armenian
community and Armenian Patriarchate can have a decisive role, and
that circumstance has an impact on Armenian-Israeli cautious relations.

Speaking about Israel’s position on the Armenian Genocide A. Grigorian
said that Israel’s scientific circles "are rather fair." However,
in his words, when the issue moves from the scientific plane to the
political plane the picture changes abruptly as the state of political
affairs and foreign political interests come to the foreground pushing
back the truth. A. Grigorian said that Israeli Kneset for the first
time made an attempt to include in the agenda the issue of Armenian
Genocide in 2008 and failed. "This year they will again slap Turkey
in the face but discussion of the issue by Kneset is not realistic,"
the expert said. In his words, today Israel is not ready to recognize
the Armenian Genocide.
From: Baghdasarian