YEREVAN: Armenia announced Friday its recognition of the State of Palestine, the latest country to do so during the war in Gaza, saying it was against 鈥渧iolence toward civilian populations.鈥�
A series of countries have recognized the State of Palestine amid the war between Israel and Hamas, drawing strong rebukes from Israeli officials.
鈥淐onfirming its commitment to international law, equality of nations, sovereignty and peaceful coexistence, the Republic of Armenia recognizes the State of Palestine,鈥� Yerevan said.
Armenia added that it is 鈥済enuinely interested in establishing long-term peace and stability in the Middle-East.鈥�
Yerevan, which has itself been ridden by conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan for decades, slammed Israel鈥檚 military conduct in Gaza.
鈥淎rmenia deplores using civilian infrastructure as shields during armed conflicts and violence toward civilian populations,鈥� the ministry said.
It also deplored Hamas for 鈥渢he captivity of civilian persons鈥� and said it 鈥渏oins the demands of international community on freeing them.鈥�
A senior official from the Palestinian Authority, Hussein Al-Sheikh, welcomed the move.
鈥淭his is a victory for right, justice, legitimacy and the struggle of our Palestinian people for liberation and independence,鈥� Al-Sheikh said on social media.
鈥淭hank you our friend Armenia.鈥�
The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas鈥檚 October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Militants also took 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 41 the army says are dead.
Israel鈥檚 retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,431 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the territory鈥檚 health ministry.
Israel is a major arms supplier to Armenia鈥檚 arch-foe neighbor Azerbaijan, with which Yerevan had been locked in a decades-long territorial dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region that Baku recaptured last year from Armenian separatists.