PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee of Australia
259 Penshurst Street, Willoughby NSW 2068
PO Box 768, Willoughby NSW 2068
Tel: (02) 9419 8264
Fax: (02) 9411 8898
Email: info@anc.org.au
Web:

TURKEY INTERFERES WITH AUSTRALIAN LAWMAKERS

ANC Australia Calls On Change In Official Australian Policy Regarding
Armenian Genocide

According to The Weekend Australian, Turkish Ambassador to Australia, Mr.
Murat Ersavci has attempted to prevent Australian lawmakers from accurately
describing the organised annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians and 350,000
Greeks during World War I as genocide.

The newspaper on Saturday reported of unethical attempts by the Turkish
Ambassador to block the Government of South Australia from passing a motion
recognising the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides, thus acknowledging
the role of the Armenian Relief Fund of Australia which provided immediate
humanitarian relief to the victims and survivors of the genocide.

The report revealed that upon Ersavci’s request, "[Minister for Foreign
Affairs and Trade] Mr. [Stephen] Smith’s office said he had written to South
Australian Premier Mike Rann outlining the federal Government’s position ‘on
these historical events’ in Turkey at the time the remnants of the once
mighty Ottoman Empire gave way to the new republic".

Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) President, Mr.
Varant Meguerditchian commented: "It is completely undemocratic that the
ambassador of a foreign nation forces our Foreign Affairs Minister to make
representations to the Premier of South Australia.

"Mr. Ersavci’s actions are a direct attempt to gag our politicians from
speaking truthfully about our proud history."

In light of eyewitness testimony from ANZAC soldiers held captive in Turkey
during WWI, and the overwhelming body of evidence which demonstrates
Australia’s involvement in providing aid to the orphaned survivors of the
Armenian Genocide, ANC Australia has called upon the Australian Government
to review its official position.

Mr. Meguerditchian said: "Australia can no longer avoid or stay silent on
this issue when it is so closely intertwined with Australia’s proud history.

"We call on the Federal Government of Australia to remain resilient in the
face of foreign pressure and independently acknowledge the common history of
the Armenian and Australian nations."
Please click here for full report in THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

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PRESS NOTE: During the last days of the Ottoman Empire, the Government
implemented a policy of Genocide upon its Christian Armenian population. As
a result, up to 1.5million Armenian men, women and children lost their lives
between 1915 and 1922.

Adding weight to the importance of recognising the Armenian Genocide is the
research conducted by the Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide
Studies that discovered records of Australia’s humanitarian assistance to
Armenians following the genocide and testimonies by ANZAC soldiers to
atrocities against the Armenians as they occurred. Briefing notes outlining
the testimony of ANZAC soldiers regarding the plight of the Armenians and
the history of the Armenian Relief Fund of Australia can be found by
clicking here.

In 1997, New South Wales became the first Australian state to recognise and
condemn the Genocide of the Armenians. On March 25th 2009, South Australia
became the second Australian state to affirm the history of the Armenian
Genocide when the Parliament’s Legislative Council passed a motion
recognising the Armenian Genocide as "one of the greatest crimes against
humanity". The full text of the South Australian resolution can be found by
clicking here.

For further information, email ANC Australia Communications Officer, Mr.
Haig Kayserian (info@anc.org.au).

Armenian National Committee of Australia
259 Penshurst Street, Willoughby NSW 2068
PO Box 768, Willoughby NSW 2068
T: (02) 9419 8264 | F: (02) 9411 8898
E: info@anc.org.au | W:

The Armenian National Committee of Australia is the peak public affairs body
of the Armenian-Australian community. ANC Australia advances the concerns of
the Armenian-Australian community.