Hakob Sevan: “Turkey is the reason of worsening of the Turkish-Israeli relations”

YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS:

Turkey is the reason of worsening of the Turkish-Israeli relations, according to Hakob Sevan, head of the Armenian Cause Jerusalem Office.

Hakob Sevan said in an interview with Armenpress that the events connected with Mavi Marmara became the basis of the worsening of the relations and that before the worsening, the Israeli Government was quite cautious about the issue of the Armenian Genocide. "Now we see some progress in the issue and we hope the progress will be maintained," Hakob Sevan said.

He said in the preliminary round there were some Israeli forces, which wanted to launch an anti-Turkish protest, however official Jerusalem did not allow this. "Nonetheless, now we hear voices of Israeli intellectuals – writers, sculptors and generally artists – who call on to recognize the Armenian Genocide. If the same tendencies go on, I think, official Israel's stance will be changed in the direction of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide," Hakob Sevan said.

As to the Jewish lobby in the US and the possibility of their support to the Armenian lobby organizations in the issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Hakob Sevan noted that it mainly depends on Israel's official stance. "There are Jewish lobby organizations, which are neutral, however I think some of them might support," he said.