CANBERRA: Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham, Australia’s Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Minister has released a statement calling on "
the Australian Government to signal clear and unambiguous support for the protection of Armenian civilians and civilian infrastructure" following Azerbaijan’s bombardment of villages inside Armenia’s sovereign borders, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).
The country's former Minister for Finance and now the leading voice of the major opposition party in the Australia's Federal Parliament, Senator Birmingham was called on by the Armenian-Australian community's peak public affairs body to join colleagues at all levels of government condemning Baku's latest aggressions against Armenians.
Azerbaijan’s attacks commenced on Tuesday 13th September, 2022 at 12:05am (local time), and featured intensive shelling of positions within the recognised borders of the Republic of Armenia, using UAVs, artillery and large-calibre weapons in the direction of Goris, Sotk and Jermuk. This followed the same aggressor, Azerbaijan, embarking on a destructive 30-minute shelling campaign of the villages of Karmir Shuka and Taghavard in the Republic of Artsakh’s Martuni region several hours earlier.
Senator Birmingham tweeted: "We strongly support calls for an immediate end to hostilities along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and an end to the reported targeting of civilians, their homes, and civilian infrastructure inside Armenia. We share the concerns of the US and the EU at this increase in cross-border tension, and a further escalation of regional instability."
He added: "We call on the Australian Government to signal clear & unambiguous support for the protection of Armenian civilians & civilian infrastructure according to international law, & Australia’s strong support for regional peace & stability, & the protection of sovereign borders."
Several parliamentarians from Australia’s largest state New South Wales have also publicly condemned the unprovoked attacks launched by Azerbaijan, including Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and Chair of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Armenia - the Hon. Jonathan O’Dea, Member for Prospect - Dr. Hugh McDermott, Member for Willoughby - Mr. Tim James, Member of the Legislative Council - the Hon. Chris Rath, Member of the Legislative Council - the Hon. Rev. Fred Nile and City of Ryde Mayor - Clr. Jordan Lane.
ANC-AU Executive Director, Michael Kolokossian thanked Senator Birmingham and friends in the NSW State Parliament and local government for amplifying the concerns of the Armenian-Australian community and addressing Azerbaijan’s unchecked aggression against civilian settlements and infrastructure in Armenia.
“The Armenian-Australian community is deeply concerned for the safety of our brothers and sisters in our nation of origin, and many in the past have found it difficult to name the aggressor as Azerbaijan, which has used this impunity as a buffer while ethnically cleansing and occupying large parts of the Armenian Republic of Artsakh, as well as taking up crucial positions within the recognised territories of the Republic of Armenia," Kolokossian said.
"Senator Birmingham’s statement sets a strong precedent for the Australian Government and all political and diplomatic representatives to follow. Azerbaijan’s attacks against Armenians in Armenia and Artsakh must be stopped," Kolokossian added.
Minister Birmingham's announcement was published at a similar time a strong statement was released by French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance Party, which said: “We condemn this unacceptable aggression in the strongest terms. The attack on Armenia is a clear violation of the territorial integrity of a sovereign state. We fully support Armenia and the victims of this conflict."
Reports have also revealed the U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken has directly contacted Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev calling for “an immediate end to military action along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border”.
“The tides are turning and there is a genuine understanding amongst the international community that Azerbaijan is the only aggressor in the region and is responsible for the continued provocations and needless deaths along the Armenian-Azerbaijan border,” said Kolokossian.
"We call on all members of the Armenian-Australian community to take immediate action and call their local Federal Member of Parliament detailing the severity of the attacks and urge them to publicly condemn Azerbaijan’s aggression against the sovereign borders of Armenia."
Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham’s tweet can be found below or here.
