Expert: Israel may recognize Armenian Genocide for its own interests

PanARMENIAN.Net - Following the latest tensions between Ankara and Tel-Aviv, Turkish media started mulling possibility of recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Knesset, an expert said.

“Israel is likely to use the Genocide issue for its own political interests. Thus, even recognition cannot be viewed as an honest move,” Turkologist Ruben Melkonyan told a press conference in Yerevan.

According to him, Jerusalem’s recognizing the Genocide will be “a favorable step at a favorable moment.”

“Armenia should follow the events with restraint. However we must never allow our tragedy to be used as a tool for political manipulations,” Melkonyan struck.

Formerly-close ties between Israel and Turkey frayed in the wake of a deadly Israeli raid on a flotilla of aid ships trying to breach the blockade on the Gaza Strip in May 2010. The raid killed nine Turkish citizens, prompting Ankara to demand Israel apologize, pay compensation and lift the blockade on Gaza before ties could be repaired.

Israel refused the terms and in recent days relations have sunk to a new low following publication of a UN report on the deadly raid, which accused Israel of using excessive force but endorsed its naval blockade, infuriating Turkey and the Palestinians.

After details of the report were leaked to the press, Ankara said it was expelling the Israeli ambassador and suspending military agreements with the Jewish state. It repeated a call for a lifting of the blockade and threatened to lodge a case against Israel before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.