Israeli Diplomat’s Visit to Yerevan Also Not Made Public

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not making public a visit to Yerevan by staff of Israel Ambassador to Armenia Shmuel Meirom (who does not reside in Armenia). A similar situation was created last week when the head of one of Armenia’s state agencies secretly visited Israel last week, reports IzRus.

According to the Israeli news portal, Meirom arrived in Yerevan following a high-ranking Armenian official’s visit to Israel.

“Because of his position, Ambassador Meirom takes frequent trips to Armenia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is making efforts to promote bilateral relations in several areas” was the response by Israel’s foreign ministry when asked by IzRus to clarify the intent of the ambassador’s visit.

Against the backdrop of growing confrontation between Turkey and Israel, Armenia’s political circles and community of experts were divided on the issue of developing ties with the Jewish state, writes columnist Alexander Goldenstein.

“Some people believe that the conflict between Ankara and Jerusalem should be used to advance their own interests, particularly to consolidate their positions in the Middle East. Opponents of this view, in turn, note that Israel is guided by opportunistic considerations and has no genuine intention to establish close ties with Armenia.

“Jerusalem is particularly careful with Yerevan so as not to prejudice its strategic partnership with Baku. Most of Shmuel Meirom’s activity is generally not made public,” writes the analyst.