Armenia–Israel relations

Armenia–Israel relations are bilateral relations between Armenia and Israel .¹ During the period of 1993–2007 Armenia was covered from the Embassy of Israel in Georgia .² Tsolak Momjian was appointed as Honorary Consul of Armenia in Jerusalem .³ Since 2007 the residence of the Embassy of Israel to Armenia moved to Jerusalem and in October 2010 Shmuel Meirom was appointed as Ambassador of Israel to Armenia . Armen Melkonian was appointed as Ambassador of Armenia to Israel with residence in Cairo. Armen Melkonyan presented his credentials to the Israeli President Shimon Peres. The Armenians and the Jews have been often compared in both academic and non-academic literature since at least the early 20th century, often in the context of the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust , which along with the Cambodian Genocide and the Rwandan Genocide are considered among the most notorious genocides of the 20th century. Historians, journalists, political experts have pointed out a number of similarities between the two ethnic groups: the wide dispersion around the world, the relatively small size, the former lack of statehood , the fact that both countries are largely surrounded by Muslim and mainly hostile countries, their influential lobby in the United States , and even their success in chess . Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia . See here "This is not the first attempt, of course, to compare certain aspects of Armenian and Jewish history. Previous comparative endeavors, however, had mostly dealt with the Armenian Genocide of 1915 in relation to the Jewish Holocaust of the Second World War." "Armenia" . The fate and modes of existence of the Armenians have been compared in some essential features to those of the Jews. Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction . In common with Jews and other scattered peoples, the Armenians have fostered a pride that goes beyond their mountainous corner of the transCaucasus, not much bigger than Vermont, which is all that remains of an empire that ranked with Byzantium and Persia in the ancient world. Like the Israelis, the Armenians are united by a vivid sense of victimization, stemming from the 1915 Turkish massacre of 1.5 million Armenians. Armenians are brought up on this story of genocide, and have a feeling of being surrounded by actual or potential enemies - the Islamic Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. Like Israel, another small country surrounded by enemies with a hauntingly similar character and history, Armenia puts its single-minded goal -- the rugged mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, in Azerbaijan -- ahead of everything. The parallels between Jews and Armenians are striking. Both have well-knit diasporas—there are more than three times as many ethnic Armenians living outside the country as inside and remittances are key to sustaining the economy. Both have strong lobby groups in Washington. Both take inordinate pride in the achievements of their ethnic group—singer Cher and tennis player Andre Agassi are two Americans that Armenians claim as their own. Both have histories marked by identity-shaping tragedies. And both Israel and Armenia are small nations and chess giants.⁴