Armenian opposition MP says Turkey is exploiting Yerevan's silence on genocide recognition

Armenian opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan has accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government of allowing Turkey to advance its long-standing denial of the Armenian Genocide by sidelining the issue in Armenia's foreign policy.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Abrahamyan, secretary of the opposition Pativ Unem faction, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent comments on genocide recognition were directed "not so much at Israel as at Armenia."

"Along with accusing Israel of various war crimes, Erdogan described the fact of the Armenian Genocide as 'slander,'" Abrahamyan wrote.

He argued that the Armenian government's decision to downgrade the issue of genocide recognition on its foreign policy agenda has weakened Yerevan's ability to counter Turkey's messaging.

"It is not only that the Pashinyan government has removed the issue from the foreign policy agenda and remained silent," the MP said. "If this continues, the day is not far off when Turkey will begin accusing Armenians themselves of various crimes and presenting its own version of 'terrible historical episodes.'"

According to Abrahamyan, Ankara has attempted to promote similar narratives in the past, but those efforts were largely unsuccessful while previous Armenian governments actively pursued international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

"Amid the Pashinyan government's criminal inaction, Turkey's hands are free," he stated. "It can present whatever it wants as fact to international audiences."