SYDNEY: MP Victor Dominello met with Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) Executive Director, Varant Meguerditchian in the lead up to the 2011 NSW State Election to address issues concerning the more than 4,000 Armenian-Australian voters of Ryde.
Dominello, who is the State Member for Australia's most densely Armenian-populated electorate, pledged that, if elected, he would continue to raise awareness of the dual matters of the Armenian Genocide and Nagorno Karabakh.
First elected to parliament at the 2008 by-election after the retirement of John Watkins, Dominello has been a proponent of Armenian-Australian issues. In 2009, Dominello delivered a private members statement in which he stated: "I will stand shoulder to shoulder with you in your goals to obtain recognition and justice arising from the Armenian genocide".
More recently in 2010, Dominello again took to the House floor to declare his position on the independence of Nagorno Karabakh.
He said:Â "Whilst it is not an internationally recognised state, this does not mean they [Armenians] are not afforded the right to self-determination as outlined in article VIII of the Helsinki Final Act."
Meguerditchian acknowledged that Dominello understands the issues important to his constituent Armenian-Australian community and takes every opportunity to raise matters when required in the State Parliament of Australia.
He said: "Mr Dominello has publicly and unequivocally demonstrated his support for the Armenian-Australian constituents in his electorate."
"We are confident that if re-elected Mr Dominello will continue to accurately represent the will of the Armenian-Australians of Ryde and maintain his principled policy positions."
