How to Raise the Bar on Palestine's Status After Lowering it on the Nagorno-Karabakh Issue: Edmon Marukyan

Former ambassador with special assignments Edmon Marukyan has addressed the recognition of the State of Palestine by Armenia on his Facebook page: "After lowering the bar on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, it is at least unclear to raise it on the status of Palestine. In the context of a balanced foreign policy that I have envisioned and advocated, recognizing the State of Palestine is a premature and incorrect decision. Yes, the actions of Hamas should have been condemned in a timely manner, yes, the massive killings carried out by the State of Israel in Gaza and the disastrous situation should be condemned, but the recognition of the State of Palestine, in the form that a few states have carried out, is a significant violation of the balance of Armenia’s foreign policy regarding this matter. I have repeatedly insisted that the Republic of Armenia should file a lawsuit against Azerbaijan in the International Court of Justice for the 'Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide' convention, based on the ethnic cleansing and genocidal actions organized and carried out in Nagorno-Karabakh, just as the Republic of South Africa did against Israel. Turkey, Egypt have joined the lawsuit, and other countries have provided support. The Armenian authorities refuse to file such a lawsuit against Azerbaijan, but they are recognizing the State of Palestine. Ultimately, how can one raise the bar on the status of Palestine after lowering it on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh?" Marukyan wrote.