The President of Armenia, on a working visit to Israel, has raised the issue of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by that country’s parliament, the Knesset. Armen Sargsyan emphasized that the recognition and condemnation of this shameful page of history should not be conditioned by today’s political interests and realities.
The President of Armenia spoke about this during a visit to the Knesset, where he and Mrs. Nune Sargsyan were hosted by the Speaker of the Israeli parliament, Yuli Edelstein, and Mrs. Irina Nevzlin.
“The recognition of the Armenian Genocide is first and foremost a moral responsibility and a tribute to the memory of innocent victims, and at the same time an important contribution to international efforts to prevent genocides and crimes against humanity,” stressed the President of Armenia.
Noting that many pages of history are tragic for the Armenian and Jewish peoples, President Sargsyan said that efforts must be combined so that such human catastrophes never happen again and are never repeated.
Yuli Edelstein said in particular: “It is a great honour for us to receive you in our country. We are happy for your visit, even if it takes place within the framework of not such a joyful event.”
The Speaker of the Knesset expressed confidence that President Sargsyan’s visit, as well as Armenia’s decision to open an embassy in Israel, will be important cornerstones for the further development of bilateral relations.
“I believe that this visit will bring a very positive change in our relations. The potential of our cooperation is much greater than what we currently use,” said Edelstein.
President Sargsyan, for his part, noted that he was at the origins of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel. “To be honest, for years I wanted to return to Israel, because I have memories connected with this country,” said the President of Armenia, considering important Israel’s experience in various fields, such as high technologies and innovation, as well as the exchange of experience.
Referring to such pages of history, President Sargsyan said that the similarities in the destinies of the two peoples are impressive, and they remind us that we must think about the future: “We can jointly create that future both as two states and as two peoples. Armenia is a small country, but a global nation, and so is Israel. I am also here to outline areas of cooperation. Armenia considers important the development of many fields — education, science, security, agriculture, modern engineering. As President, I have an initiative to make Armenia a new technological hub, because we have a number of advantages to do so. In our country there are high-level scientists, mathematicians, and we have good educational programmes in the field of programming.”
At the end of the visit, the President of Armenia made an entry in the book of honoured guests. Afterwards, President Sargsyan and Mrs. Nune Sargsyan toured the parliament building.
President Sargsyan participated in Israel in the 5th International Conference dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust.
