SYDNEY: The National Council of Churches in Australia has appealed directly to Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator the Hon. Penny Wong calling on the Federal Government to assist in securing just and sustainable peace for Armenia and Artsakh, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).
The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCAA), established in 1994, comprises 18 highly influential Christian communities and is a modern ecumenical movement that brings together leaders of the Christian faith in Australia. The NCCA is an associate council of the World Council of Churches and works in collaboration with state ecumenical councils across Australia.
The statement, responding to community advocacy efforts undertaken by His Eminence Archbishop Haigazoun Najarian––Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand, written by General Secretary Elizabeth Stone raised concern over the latest large-scale military aggression launched by Azerbaijan against the borders of Armenia, and calls on the Australian Federal Government to work with the international community to prioritise peace for the indigenous Armenians in the region.
In her correspondence to the Foreign Minister, Ms Stone also called on the Australian Government to assist in efforts to release Armenian prisoners of war illegally imprisoned by Azerbaijan following the 44-day Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
The letter also called on the Australian Government to take appropriate measures to safeguard the ongoing desecration of religious and cultural sites in the currently occupied territories of the Republic of Artsakh by the Azerbaijani regime through UNESCO.
The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) welcomed this appeal from one of the largest and most influential Christian bodies in Australia and thanks them for their principled stance in supporting Armenian-Australian issues.
The National Council of Churches in Australia is made up of Anglican Church, Antiochian Church, Orthodox Church, Armenian Apostolic Church, Assyrian Church of the East, Chinese Methodist Church, Churches of Christ Congregational Federation, Coptic Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox Church, Indian Orthodox Church, Lutheran Church, Mar Thoma Church, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Roman Catholic Church, Romanian Orthodox Church, Syrian Orthodox Church, The Salvation Army and the Uniting Church.
The Armenian National Committee of Australia has also written to several other prominent faith and community bodies across Australia requesting their support and advocacy in calling on the Australian Government to condemn Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia.
