CANBERRA: In an emotive and powerful plea on the floor of Australia's Parliament, Member for Bennelong
Jerome Laxale has called on his own government to provide aid to thousands of Armenians living in peril, following Azerbaijan’s 24-hour military assault on the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) leading to the ethnic cleansing of the regions over 100,000 Armenian inhabitants, reported the
Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).
In the first Federal Parliament sitting since Azerbaijan’s September 19 attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, Laxale rose on Monday 16th October 2023, delivering a 5-minute Private Member Statement urging Canberra to stand in solidarity with the over 50,000 Armenian-Australians.
Laxale acquainted Azerbaijan’s genocidal actions to the Ottoman Empire’s 1915 Armenian Genocide and said: "This is even more heartbreaking in light of the history of Armenia and the genocide it faced in the early 20th century. That genocide resulted in the mass murder and deportation of over 1.5 million Armenians.”
“For many people, witnessing the unrest in Nagorno Karabakh today has brought home horrendous memories, reopening deep wounds and reigniting a sense of collective trauma that has persisted for generations. This turmoil, coupled with the renewed violence, serves as a chilling reminder of the traumatic events of the past.”
The Co-Convenor of the Armenia-Australia Interparliamentary Union joined Australian Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister
Simon Birmingham in calling on the Australian Government to stand with the European Union, Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Canada and many other allies in delivering urgent humanitarian assistance to the Armenians of Artsakh.
“I'm using my time in this place tonight to call on the Australian government to do the same. Please, we must support Armenian refugees with humanitarian aid at this tragic time.”
Armenian National Committee of Australia Executive Director Michael Kolokossian thanked Laxale for his emotionally moving statement.
Days after his speech, the Australian Government announced a $500,000 aid package to assist the Armenian refugees from Artsakh (
click here).
