Ishtartv.com
- en.armradio.am
Siranush
Ghazanchyan June
17, 2020
Federal Senator for South
Australia, Rex Patrick has added his backing to the Joint Justice Initiative of
the Armenian-Australian, Assyrian-Australian and Greek-Australian communities
calling for Australian recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek
Genocides.
The February 2020 launch of
the Joint Justice Initiative at Australia’s Parliament House featured the
signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the Armenian National Committee of
Australia (ANC-AU), Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) and Australian Hellenic
Council (AHC), which declares Australia’s recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian
and Greek Genocides as a priority on behalf of their communities.
As a cross-bench Senator
representing Centre Alliance, Patrick has addressed the Australian Government’s
position appeasing Armenian Genocide denial during Senate Estimates questioning
and at the event’s national commemoration evenings in 2019 and 2020.
Further, Centre Alliance has a
party position recognising the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides, and
calling on Australia to do the same.
Patrick, who is also an
outspoken voice for greater government transparency and against domestic
violence, signed the Affirmation of Support for the Joint Justice
Initiative to continue his consistent support for this issue that impacts so
many Australians who are descendants of the 1915 Genocide.
“Senator Rex Patrick has long
proven himself to be a principled politician, and on this issue, he and his
party have a principled position that sides with truth and justice,” said
Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) Executive Director, Haig
Kayserian.
“With support for the Joint
Justice Initiative growing, Senator Patrick and his colleagues will help us
bring Australia to that same principled position before too long.”
The Joint Justice Initiative has
so far announced the support of Patrick, Mike Freelander MP, Senator
Eric Abetz, Senator Larissa Waters, Senator Pat Dodson, Jason
Falinski MP, Josh Burns MP, John Alexander MP, Senator Andrew
Bragg and Bob Katter MP, with a promise of more announcements to
come.
On 25th February 2020, over 100
Federal Australian parliamentarians, diplomats, departmental officials,
political staffers, academics, media and community leaders were treated to
cultural performances, food, wine and brandy, as well as the historic signing
of a Memorandum of Understanding, which affirmed that the signatory public
affairs representatives of the three communities were jointly committed to
seeing Australia recognise the Turkish-committed Genocide against the Armenian,
Greek and Assyrian citizens of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
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