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Akbar Novruz

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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has declined to comment on Israel's recent move to recognize the Armenian Genocide after the Israeli government approved a bill on June 28 that will now be submitted to the Knesset for parliamentary consideration, AzerNEWS reports.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Pashinyan said Armenia did not intend to respond to the development.

"We see no need to respond because we believe that refraining from entering into the issue of the weaponisation of the Armenian Genocide is in the interests of the Republic of Armenia," he said.

Pashinyan's remarks came after several days of silence from Yerevan following the Israeli government's approval of the bill. The development comes as Armenia continues its peace process with Azerbaijan while simultaneously pursuing normalization of relations with Türkiye.

The issue of the Armenian Genocide has long been one of the main obstacles in relations between Armenia and Türkiye. Ankara rejects the characterization of the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923 as genocide and has consistently opposed international recognition of the events.

In 2024, Armenian authorities stated that international recognition of the Armenian Genocide was "not our number one priority," emphasizing instead the importance of ensuring peace and stability in the region.

Following the Israeli government's decision, both Türkiye and Azerbaijan criticized the move. Türkiye accused Israel of attempting to "cover up its own crimes" in Gaza, while Azerbaijan called on the Israeli government to reconsider the decision.