– NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has joked about her unpronounceable last name and says ‘just call me Gladys.’

But the new premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, is a pioneer – not just because she’s first Liberal woman to hold the job.

She’s part of Australia’s small but successful Armenian community. The 2011 census estimates there are about 10,000 Armenian speakers in Australia.

But a tragic history hangs over the Armenian diaspora. And could this complicate life for the new premier?

The ABC Radio has talked to  Stepan Kerkysharian, founding director of SBS Radio, about the Armenian identity, the Armenian Genocide, the Karabakh issue, etc.