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    Categories: 2020

A number of national communities in Australia appealed to authorities calling to reject Erdogan`s visit to Australia

Arminfo, Armenia
March 6 2020

ArmInfo.The Cypriot-Australian community has joined with the Armenian-Australian,  Assyrian-Australian and Greek-Australian communities in calling on  the Australian Government to reject a proposed visit by Turkey's  dictator, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the press service of the  Armenian National Committee of Australia told ArmInfo.

The President of the Federation of Cyprus Communities of Australia &  New Zealand, Michael Christodoulou said that Erdogan had no place in  Australia while denying genocides and practicing Turkey's  expansionist policies in the region. "Australia cannot add to the  false credibility some countries in the world afford to Erdogan's  Turkey while it continues its illegal occupation of 37% of Cyprus'  territories," Christodoulou said.  "Impunity for Turkey's genocidal  history has led to Ankara thinking its expansionist policies in  Cyprus will also go unpunished, and Australia hosting Erdogan would  add undeserved legitimacy for a dictatorship, by a democracy that  shares none of his values," Christodoulou added. Armenian National  Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) Executive Director, Haig Kayserian  welcomed Cypriot-Australians joining the calls to reject Erdogan made  by the Joint Justice Initiative. 

"Cypriot-Australians, who are terribly concerned about the security  of their compatriots back home, have every reason to be concerned  about news that Australia is apparently considering hosting this  despotic dictator," Kayserian said. "Australians remember that It was  only last year, following the Christchurch terrorist attack, that  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to return Australians and  New Zealanders traveling to Gallipoli for ANZAC Day Commemorations  'in their coffins like their grandfathers'," Kayserian added. "Now we  are hearing this friend of ISIS, who has created a state of terror by  arresting, jailing or dismissing more opposition leaders, minority  rights advocates, journalists and academics than any world leader,  might be a guest of the Australian Government."

Arbi Tashjian: