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Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Calls on Penny Wong to Provide Australian Aid to Armenians of Artsakh

Monday, 16 October 2023

CANBERRA: Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham has written to the Australian Government, calling for urgent humanitarian aid to Armenia to alleviate the humanitarian crisis following Azerbaijan’s military assault on Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and ethnic cleansing of the region's indigenous population.

Following an on-the-ground briefing from border town Goris by representatives of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU), who were leading an Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the Republic of Armenia, Senator Birmingham publicly called for Australia to provide a “financial contribution to the efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross to support the people of Nagorno-Karabakh”.

In his letter addressed to his counterpart, Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Penny Wong, Birmingham joined the ANC-AU in welcoming Canberra's public calls for Azerbaijan to cease its September 19 military assault on Artsakh, causing a mass exodus of over 100,000 Armenians from their ancestral homeland.

The letter read: “Australia supports the role of the ICRC. I therefore request the Government to make an urgent financial commitment from Australia to the ICRC in Armenia to support the well-being of those fleeing from Nagorno-Karabakh.”

In addition to an emergency aid package, Birmingham highlighted the Coalition's support for an international observer mission and “whatever expertise Australia may be able to offer based on our experience in international humanitarian emergencies”.

Armenian National Committee of Australia Executive Director Michael Kolokossian said, “Australia, with its history of contributing to global humanitarian efforts, has the potential to make a significant impact on the lives of the Armenians facing ethnic cleansing. As a nation, we must demonstrate our readiness to play a vital role in addressing this pressing international crisis.”

On behalf of the Armenian-Australian community, the ANC-AU has thanked Senator Birmingham for his compassionate response to the humanitarian crisis and announced they will be meeting with representatives of the Government to discuss the urgent needs of the displaced people of Artsakh.