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Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has given an interview to Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, the ministry’s press service reported.

In response to the reporter’s remarks claiming Armenian Foreign Minister’s visit to Israel is a rare thing, Mr. Nalbandian said: “I would rather say, this is very rare to receive Israeli Foreign Minister in Armenia. All Foreign Ministers of Armenia paid visits to Israel. I served for almost 10 years as Armenia’s Ambassador to Israel. That is why it is not my first visit to Israel. I am always very glad to be back to Jerusalem.”

The Armenian official informed he had paid a visit to Israel upon the invitation of the Prime-Minister and Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “It was a short visit but very intensive one. I had meetings with the Prime-Minister Netanyahu, with Minister for Regional Cooperation Hanegbi, with Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Elkin, with Chairman of your Parliament Mr. Edelstein and also with the Vice-Chairman of Parliament, Tali Ploskov, who is also Chair of the Armenia-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group.

I had an opportunity to see the Armenian Patriarch. We have very important, centuries-old Armenian presence in Jerusalem. As always, I used the opportunity to visit Yad Vashem and to pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

Visiting Yad Vashem, as I said, is not the first time. Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and Tsitsernakaberd in Yerevan, teach us, especially such nations, like the Jewish and Armenian nations, who suffered, passed through the horrors of genocide, we have moral obligation to join our efforts to fight against new genocides, new crimes against humanity,” he detailed.

Asked about his expectations from Israel regarding the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, whether he is satisfied with the current situation and whether that topic has been touched upon at his meetings in Israel, Edward Nalbandian noted: “It was and it is always a topic of our dialogue. As I said, two nations passed through the horrors of genocide. Many scholars, many politicians consider that in case of adequate condemnation of the Armenian Genocide maybe could be possible to prevent Shoah and other genocides. That is why of course, we are expecting that Israel will officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. We feel that in the public opinion of Israel more and more people are in favor of the recognition, including in the Parliament. Yesterday I had a meeting with the Chairman of the Knesset. He again expressed his very clear position of the importance of the recognition by Knesset of the Armenian Genocide.”

Commenting on the question on his expectations from Israel regarding the military aid or military exports, the Armenian foreign minister said: “The trade of arms is not a trade of vegetables and such kind of trade always has its dark side, which could have some negative consequences. Which is important in Armenia’s relations with Israel that we have no taboo for discussing all the questions, even sensitive questions we are discussing openly and we are trying to find ways out.”

The full interview is available at the ministry’s official website.