Key facts
- Israel's government unanimously approved a proposal to recognize the Armenian genocide.
- The decision requires parliamentary ratification.
- Turkey accused Israel of using the resolution to distract from alleged war crimes in Gaza.
- Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry called the recognition a 'distortion of historical facts' and 'unacceptable.'
- Azerbaijan urged Israel to reconsider the decision.
Azerbaijan has issued a rare rebuke against its close ally Israel following the Israeli government's unanimous approval of a proposal to recognize the Armenian genocide. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry described the decision as a "distortion of the historical facts" and "unacceptable," urging Israel to reconsider.
The move by Israel's Likud-led government is widely seen as a swipe against Turkey, with which Azerbaijan shares close ties. Turkey has fiercely opposed the formal recognition of the Armenian genocide, and its Foreign Ministry stated that Israel's resolution was a "malicious attempt" to distract from alleged war crimes in Gaza. Turkey also claimed the decision was made "without a sound legal or scholarly basis" and that such actions "deepen existing divisions."