ArmInfo.Armenian Acting Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan expressed an opinion in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that diplomatic missions of the two countries will soon be opened in Israel and Armenia. At the same time, he refrained from answering the question about the possibility of opening an Armenian diplomatic office in Jerusalem.
Mnatsakanyan also stressed that Armenia is interested in giving a new quality to relations with Israel. He also stated about the similarity of the two peoples, and the difference between the Armenians from their neighbors. "We have an ancient and complicated history," the Armenian FM said.
According to Acting Minister, Armenia has so much to offer Israel in the fields of agriculture, science, technology, education and innovation – and especially in the area of early childhood education, he also noted that he planed on traveling to Israel himself in the near future to promote joint ventures.
Referring to the issue of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey, Mnatsakanyan stated "1.5 million of our people were murdered. But we do not feel like victims. We are victors because we were not supposed to be on the surface of this earth. I would not say that we were not disappointed that the vote didn't take place in the end. We know that this issue has become a trading chip in your relations with Turkey and it is very unfortunate," the Acting Minister stressed.
At the same time he stated, it is well-known, that Israel sold weapons to Azerbaijan. That doesn't mean that we would not like to develop realtions with Israel, including in the military field.
"We have an extremely long history with Iran," continues Mnatsakanyan. "They are very aware of the cultural contribution Armenia has had in Iran. Since we have what could be described at best as hostile relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, Iran functions as an important lifeline channel for us. We have good relations with many countries, and it's essential for us that our relationship with one country does not jeopardize our connections with others".
In turn Dr. Chen Bram, a research fellow at the Truman Institute of the Hebrew University, stated the need to improve Israel's relations with Armenia. "On the one hand, Azerbaijan is an important ally for Israel, and we should not jeopardize this relationship. And of course relations with Turkey are particularly complex. On the other hand, maybe Israel can actually help bring about peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Israel should be able to stand up to Azerbaijan and say, 'We are your ally, but we would like to establish relations with Armenia, too, and you should not view this as a move that will harm our relations.' This might cause a bit of an uproar at first, but it's possible to do. I think it's a shame Israel hasn't made such an effort until now", the expert stated.
Regarding the issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide, then, according to Brahm, Israel should take this step