ASSYRIANS, ARMENIANS IN AUSTRALIA COMMEMORATE TURKISH GENOCIDE
Assyrian International News Agency AINA
A Pril 26 2010
The Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) – Australia Chapter participated
in the annual worldwide commemoration of the genocide committed
by the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1918 during WWI against Turkey’s
Christian Assyrian, Armenian and Pontic Greek constituents of Anatolia,
strengthening the Assyrian links with Armenians and Hellenics.
The AUA representatives attended the observance conferences organized
by the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee that took place on
April 22 and 24. The first gathering was held at the Parliament House
of New South Wells, and the second one at Macquarie University. Both
events held in Sydney were attended by more than eight hundred people.
The keynote speaker at these commemorations was Mr. Seto Boyadjian
Esq, a political analyst and the former executive director of the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The Assyrian delegation included Mr. Hermiz Shahen, Deputy Secretary
General of the Assyrian Universal Alliance and the Regional Secretary
of Australia and New Zealand, Mr. David David, Executive Secretary
of the AUA – Australia Chapter and the President of the Assyrian
Australian National Federation, Miss Annabel Saint Vincent, Mr.
Benjamin Benjamin, Mr. Paul Azzo, Mr. Nenos Nissan, Mr. Ben Jabro,
and Mr. Ninos Aaron.
In addition to participating in these conferences, Assyrian activists
joined the Armenian nationalists who protested outside the Turkish
Consulate in Sydney on Sunday, April 18, 2010, demanding that modern
Turkey recognize and condemn the horrible acts of its Ottoman Turk
government.
On Friday, April 16, the Assyrian Universal Alliance representatives
attended an important annual reception organized by the Australian
Hellenic Council of NSW at Campsie in Sydney, celebrating the
longstanding ties that have bonded Australians and Hellenics. The
keynote speaker was Dr. Panayiotis Diamadis, a specialist in holocaust
and genocide studies, who gave an informative seminar about the
genocide in Anatolia, highlighting the passionate stance of the
Australian people toward the victims of this genocide in providing
assistance to the survivors. He spoke about the role of Australian
WWI soldiers who advocated for Assyrian, Armenian and Pontic Greek
refugees, deeds that these "diggers" recorded in their memoirs and
reported in their correspondence with their headquarters in Australia.
The Assyrian Universal Alliance-Australia Chapter believes that through
our united efforts, we can convince the international community to
persuade the people and government of Turkey to recognize these
heinous acts that were perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks against
Turkey’s Armenian, Assyrian and Pontic Greek subjects.
Assyrian Universal Alliance Australian Chapter