PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia & New Zealand
10 Macquarie Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
AUSTRALIA
Contact: Abp Aghan Baliozian
Tel: (02) 9419-8056
Fax: (02) 9904-8446
Email: [email protected]
27 January 2007
PRIMATE MEETS WITH TURKEY’S AMBASSADOR TO AUSTRALIA
Sydney, Australia – "We are all Armenian, We are all Hrant Dink" was the
slogan borne by the tens of thousands of mourners at the funeral of Turkish
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink on Tuesday. This chant continues to resonate
in Armenian communities worldwide as an outcry for condemnation of the
murderous crime against human life, against principles of freedom of
expression, truth and justice that are so highly valued in the democratic
world.
The Armenian Community of Sydney mobilised this week to publicly condemn the
assassination of Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of the Turkish Armenian weekly
newspaper "Agos" who was brutally gunned down in front of his office block
last Friday. A peaceful protest rally was held in front of the Turkish
Consulate in Sydney on Wednesday morning when more than 500
Australian-Armenians converged to express the Community’s outrage at the
circumstances surrounding the murder.
On Thursday 25 January, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
Australia and New Zealand, His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian
accompanied by church and community representatives, met with Turkey’s
Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency N. Murat Ersavci in Canberra. The
Primate and delegates were greeted cordially by the Ambassador exchanging
words of sympathy.
After some discussion about the late Hrant Dink the matter of Article 301 of
the Turkish Penal Code was raised for which Dink and other writers have
faced criminal charges for insulting Turkish identity. It is widely
accepted that the atmosphere created by the trials brought on by this
Article has incited sentiments of hatred and extreme racist behaviour.
Archbishop Baliozian presented the Ambassador with a letter condemning the
crime against Hrant Dink and the principles he stood for. The letter also
called for Turkish authorities to ensure the due conviction of the
perpetrators of the crime which included the gunman and its architects, and
for the Government of Turkey to give serious consideration to the impact of
Article 301, especially in light of this shameful crime.
The Ambassador read the letter during the meeting but did not accept it.
At the conclusion of the visit, Ambassador Ersavci presented Archbishop
Baliozian with a video of the funeral procession and service of the late
Hrant Dink.
In a joint statement after the meeting, the Armenian delegation declared
that ‘The meeting was a success. Although the Ambassador rejected our
letter, it was clear to the Turkish representative that the Armenian
Diaspora is united in its outrage at Dink’s murder and the continued denial
of the Armenian Genocide.’
The extraordinary outpouring of public grief and outrage which has been
demonstrated by this tragedy is testimony to the integrity of the man, Hrant
Dink. May his death not be in vain and may his vision of peace across
borders and dialogue between Turks and Armenians be realised one day soon.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
