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ANC Australia – Armenian National Committee of Australia
The Peak Public Affairs Committee of the Armenian-Australian Community
259 Penshurst Street, Willoughby NSW 2068 ~ PO Box 768, Willoughby NSW 2068
Tel: (02) 9419 8264 ~ Fax: (02) 9411 8898
Email: [email protected] ~ Website:
10 September, 2007
PRESS RELEASE
{CONTACT: Haig Kayserian (Communications Officer) ~ 0403 317 903 ~
[email protected]}
MAXINE MCKEW PROMISES TO ADVOCATE GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
SYDNEY: In a meeting with the Armenian National Committee of Australia
earlier this week, Federal Labor Candidate for Bennelong, Ms Maxine McKew
declared she would "unequivocally and publicly" support the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide if elected to government in the upcoming federal
elections.
"It was my position while working in the media and remains my position
today," said the former ABC journalist who will challenge Prime Minister
John Howard for the Armenian populated seat of Bennelong in the 2007 Federal
election.
Ms McKew added: "The Armenian-Australian community has a kindred spirit in
me and if elected, I will advocate for recognition of the Armenian Genocide
by the Government of Australia."
ANC Australia President, Mr. Varant Meguerditchian welcomed Ms McKew’s
affirmation, stating: "The 4000-strong Armenian-Australian voters of
Bennelong will wait to hear the position of other candidates, including
Prime Minister John Howard, regarding the issue of Armenian Genocide
recognition before casting their united votes at the upcoming election."
"Recognising the Armenian Genocide is the first step toward ensuring against
the repeat of such hateful crimes," added Mr Meguerditchian. "Ms McKew has
set the moral high bar by genuinely expressing her views concerning this
very important humanitarian issue."
____________________________________ ________________________
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 the Australia’s humanitarian
assistance to Armenians following the genocide and testimonies by ANZAC
soldiers to atrocities of against the Armenians as they occurred.
[End]
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: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] | 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.