ArmInfo. The embassy in Tel Aviv is a good opportunity to increase the regional significance and importance of Armenia, as well as to counter the buildup of relations between Israel and Azerbaijan. Expert on regional issues Karen Veranyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
On September 19, the Armenian government decided to open the Armenian Embassy in Israel. According to the justification of the draft decision, Yerevan intends to open an embassy at the end of 2019 - the beginning of 2020 in Tel Aviv. Introducing the draft decision, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan recalled that diplomatic relations between the two states were established in April 1992, however, until now Armenia was represented in Israel by a non-resident ambassador. "The appearance of our ambassador in Tel Aviv is a good opportunity to give the Armenian-Israeli relations a more substantive content. Especially given Israel's great interest in this. There are enough areas in which to do this: trade, agriculture, healthcare, IT, other areas of the economy. I am convinced that both sides are interested in developing relations, there is mutual political will and desire, "he stressed.
The expert is convinced of the need for a clear distinction between the Armenian-Israeli relations from the relations between Israel and Azerbaijan by Yerevan. According to him, it is necessary to give the relations with Tel Aviv the broadest possible agenda. In this light, he notes the need to determine for Israel a vast place in the Middle East policy of Armenia, following the example of Iran and the Arab countries. Given that Israel is one of the main regional players, strengthening relations with this country, according to Veranyan, is an urgent need.
The expert notes that Israel's interest in Armenia, among other things, is due to the country's proximity to Iran, with which the Jewish state is in conflict. In this light, Veranyan considers it necessary to do everything possible to avoid turning Armenia into one of the sites of this conflict, as is the case with Azerbaijan. According to his estimates, Armenia can and should be for Tehran and Tel Aviv exclusively a platform for dialogue. According to the expert, when taking this approach, Armenia will get a good opportunity to parallel deepen relations with both Iran and Israel.