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SYDNEY: On Saturday, 3rd December 2022, the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) Gala honoured Member for Berowra, Julian Leeser MP as the Armenian-Australian Community’s Friend of the Year.

The Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Shadow Attorney-General was awarded the honour in appreciation of his outspoken advocacy, promoting recognition and justice for the Armenian Genocide, peace and freedom for the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh, and other issues of importance to Armenian-Australians.

"Mr Leeser has demonstrated his allegiance and commitment to the Australian-Armenian community, consistently speaking out and proudly representing our community’s interests since his election as the Member  for Berowra," said ANC-AU Executive Director, Michael Kolokossian.

“From calling for the accurate recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Australian Government, to calling out Turkey’s dictator Erdogan for his denial of the genocide, to his support for the rights to self-determination of the Armenian Republic of Artsakh as a member of the Australian Friends of Artsakh network, Mr Leeser has stood firmly with the Armenian-Australian community,” added Kolokossian.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Leeser said: “My commitment to the Armenian-Australian community and particularly calling out the Genocide comes from the fact that I’m a Jewish-Australian. It is impossible for me not to call out the Genocide for what it is because, remember Adolf Hitler said ‘who after all speaks of the annihilation of the Armenians’, which he said in the context in preparation for the final solution."

Leeser highlighted that the Armenian people's past struggles are very much ingrained in the present and acknowledged the civilian populations along the Armenia-Azerbaijani border under attack by Azerbaijan during his acceptance speech.

Julian Leeser MPs speech can be viewed by clicking here.



In addition, Mr Leeser took the opportunity to praise the ANC-AU for their role as a leading voice of the Armenian-Australian community.

“The fact that you’ve had three outstanding Executive Directors of the ANC-AU in reverse order Michael (Kolokossian), Haig (Kayserian) and Vache (Kahramanian), all of whom are young people when you look across the nature of multicultural Australia… indicates that you as a community are investing correctly in your leadership and the future advocacy of your community,” added Leeser.

On the night, ANC-AU Chairperson Vache Kahramanian and Board Member Gisele Kapterian were called to the stage to present the award to Mr Leeser.

Past recipients of the ANC-AU Armenian-Australian Community’s Friend of the Year award include Joe Hockey, Joel Fitzgibbon, Tim Wilson, Trent Zimmerman, Bob Carr, John Alexander, Gladys Berejiklian, Phillip Adams, Jonathan O’Dea, Walt Secord, Paul Fletcher, Michael Atkinson the late Professor Colin Tatz, Hugh McDermott and Kristina Keneally in 2021.