Ishtartv.com
- armradio.am
Siranush
Ghazanchyan, August 28, 2020
The Chair of the Australian
Parliament’s House of Representatives Standing Committees on Migration and
Indigenous Affairs, Julian Leeser MP has signed an Affirmation of Support
backing the Joint Justice Initiative for national recognition of the Armenian,
Assyrian and Greek Genocides.
The February 2020 launch of
the Joint Justice Initiative at Australia’s Parliament House featured the
signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the Armenian National Committee of
Australia (ANC-AU), Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) and Australian Hellenic
Council (AHC), which declares Australia’s recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian
and Greek Genocides as a priority on behalf of their communities.
Leeser is the Federal Member for
Berowra which covers suburbs in Sydney’s Upper North Shore, and has been a
supporter of Genocide recognition and justice since entering Parliament in 2016
following the retirement of veteran former Attorney General, the Hon. Phillip
Ruddock.
A prominent Jewish-Australian
politician, Leeser spoken for recognition of the Armenian Genocide in speeches
within and outside parliament, as well as in a parliamentary debate where he
emphatically called out Turkey’s denial of 1915.
“I think the world has been too
slow to recognise and call out the Armenian Genocide a century ago for what it
was,” Leeser said in the December 2018 debate. “It’s time every nation in the
world, including our own, recognised the Armenian genocide for what it was.
It’s time the Erdogan regime in Turkey owned up to their own history as well.”
Armenian National Committee of
Australia (ANC-AU) Executive Director, Haig Kayserian welcomed Leeser’s
addition to the growing Joint Justice Initiative.
“Mr. Leeser has always shown
great empathy for issues of genocide justice, and is a friend and advocate for
truth in Australia’s Parliament,” said Kayserian.
“We in the Armenian-Australian,
Assyrian-Australian and Greek-Australian communities are honoured to have such
a strong ally in our cause for recognition and justice of the genocides faced
by our ancestors in 1915.”
The Joint Justice Initiative has
so far announced the support of Leeser, Michelle Rowland MP, Senator
Paul Scarr, Tony Zappia MP, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Senator
Hollie Hughes, Senator Rex Patrick, Mike Freelander MP, Senator
Eric Abetz, Senator Larissa Waters, Senator Pat Dodson, Jason
Falinski MP, Josh Burns MP, John Alexander MP, Senator Andrew
Bragg and Bob Katter MP, with a promise of more announcements to
come.
On 25th February 2020, over 100
Federal Australian parliamentarians, diplomats, departmental officials,
political staffers, academics, media and community leaders were treated to
cultural performances, food, wine and brandy, as well as the historic signing
of a Memorandum of Understanding, which affirmed that the signatory public
affairs representatives of the three communities were jointly committed to
seeing Australia recognise the Turkish-committed Genocide against the Armenian,
Greek and Assyrian citizens of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
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