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."