A senior Azerbaijani official claimed that Israel halted efforts to advance recognition of the Armenian genocide following diplomatic pressure from Baku, which warned Jerusalem that the move would harm its close relationship with Turkey.
Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, said in an interview with Turkish broadcaster Haber Global that the issue had caused “deep concern” in Baku because Turkey’s interests represent a “red line” for Azerbaijan.
A senior Azerbaijani official claimed that Israel halted efforts to advance recognition of the Armenian genocide
(Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque, ILIA YEFIMOVICH/Pool via REUTERS)
According to Hajiyev, Aliyev ordered an intensive diplomatic campaign after the issue of Israeli recognition of the 1915 Armenian massacres came up for discussion.
“We conveyed to the Israeli side that adopting such a decision would be unfair, would not reflect historical reality, and that we do not see it as an appropriate step,” Hajiyev said.
He claimed Israel “took Azerbaijan’s messages seriously” and that “further progress on the issue was prevented.”
The Azerbaijani official also emphasized the close alliance between Baku and Ankara.
“Wherever Turkey is not present, Azerbaijan is present, and wherever Azerbaijan is not present, Turkey is present,” he said, adding that the two countries would continue responding firmly to actions they view as harmful to their interests.
The Armenian genocide issue has been a sensitive diplomatic matter for decades. Armenia and many historians describe the mass killings and deportations of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire beginning in 1915 as genocide, while Turkey rejects that characterization.
According to the report, Israel’s initiative to recognize the events as genocide was removed from the Knesset agenda after Azerbaijan’s pressure campaign. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar had presented the issue in parliament, but it was not brought to a vote.
Israel has not officially responded to Hajiyev’s claims.
Sa’ar’s office said in a statement that “the Armenian people’s genocide was recognized unanimously in a decision by the Israeli government. This decision stands and will not change.”
The dispute comes amid growing tensions between Israel and Azerbaijan, despite years of close security and diplomatic cooperation.
Last month, Azerbaijani officials reportedly expressed disappointment over the Israeli move, arguing that Jerusalem had failed to reciprocate Azerbaijan’s support since the outbreak of the war.
Azerbaijani officials also criticized the timing of communications between the two governments, claiming that Sa’ar spoke with his Azerbaijani counterpart only after the decision had already been announced, rather than before it was made.
The episode highlights the delicate balance between Israel’s relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, two countries with competing historical and political interests surrounding the Armenian genocide issue.