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Israelâ€™s former defense minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer: The hearings held at Israeli Knesset on the â€œArmenian genocideâ€ do not concern Azerbaijan - INTERVIEW

13 January 2012 12:25 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Habil Suleymanzadeh â€“ APA. APAâ€™s interview with Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, member of the Israeli Knesset, former minister of defense, infrastructure and industry

-Mr. Ben-Eliezer, 20 years have passed since the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Israel. Mutual visits have been paid to Israel and Azerbaijan in the recent months. The trade turnover between our states is increasing. What makes these two states close to each other?

-First of all I should say that this is not my first visit to Baku. This is my seventh visit to Azerbaijan. I have met with Azerbaijani officials and I want all to know â€“ Israelis trust Azerbaijan and sympathize with it. There are similarities between our peoples. Both states have unfriendly neighborhoods. Israel wishes to enhance economic relations with Azerbaijan. We have got advanced experience and technologies to offer Azerbaijan â€“ agriculture, alternative energy, information technologies and etc. There are sufficient common moments and it is not accidental that our relations are moving forward.

-The committee of the Israeli Knesset has recently held a hearing on the â€œArmenian genocideâ€. Azerbaijan has a delicate approach to this issue. How important is this issue for the Israeli political circles? Is it realized in Israel that the recognition of the â€œArmenian genocideâ€ can damage Israelâ€™s image in Azerbaijan?

-Firstly, I must say that this issue does not concern Azerbaijan. The essence of the issue is the following â€“ the parliamentarians, who have put forward this initiative, want to send a message to Turkey â€œDonâ€™t teach us a lessonâ€. This concerns only Turkey. No one in Azerbaijan has a reason to worry about it.

- But it is possible to hear such thoughts that hearing on â€œgenocideâ€ could have a negative impact on the Azerbaijan-Israeli relationsâ€¦.

- I donâ€™t share this opinion because no one in Israel thinks that this hearing could effect our bilateral relations. This is an issue caused by the current Turkey-Israel relations, because Israel is not satisfied with the policy of the current Turkish leadership. Frankly, I donâ€™t like this initiative, but some lawmakers are very dissatisfied with Turkey, but they never think to hurt Azerbaijan. I should say again that this issue is related directly to Turkey.

- By the way, is there a chance for reconciliation between Turkey and Israel?

- I am an Israeli politician, who calls for dialogue and normalization of the relations with Turkey. Now Israel is making all efforts to cross the gap between us and reach an understanding. Turkey is an important country for us due to its strategic position and economic potential. We support the restoration of the relations and reconciliation, but the problem is that Turkey has no such intention. We donâ€™t see any reason to maintain tensions.

- Currently all international community focuses attention on Iran and many hint to the possibility of war. Azerbaijan is concerned about the war with Iran that will create difficulties for Azerbaijan. Do you share concerns of Azerbaijan?

- The essence of the issue is that Iran threatens not only Israel and the West, but it threatens the Islamic world and its major part â€“ Sunnis, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and others. Azerbaijan is an Iranâ€™s neighbor. Iran does its best to get nuclear weapon. I was Israelâ€™s defense minister and I guess that Iran could get it in the next two or three years. I think Azerbaijan can not be calm in this situation. If Iran gets nuclear weapon, it will change its attitude toward other countries, including its neighbors. Iranâ€™s nuclear weapon can produce undesirable consequences for Azerbaijan too. If we recall recent threats by some forces in Iran against Azerbaijan, everything becomes clear. Ahmadinejad always says that their goal is to destroy Israel. How we can keep calmness?! This is a statement of insane and inadequate person. Azerbaijan is a small country, but it can defend itself, but it shouldnâ€™t forget that it has a neighbor, which threatens the world.