CANBERRA: The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) has criticised a statement by Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, which expressed “concern” at the “renewed fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan around the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh”.
The Armenian-Australian community’s peak public affairs body said that any statement that did not call out the perpetrators of the attacks was disappointing.
“Australian should not be on the wrong side of history on this issue,” said ANC-AU Executive Director Haig Kayserian. “Failing to call out the attack which instigated the ensuing violence emboldens the dictatorship of Ilham Aliyev in Azerbaijan to continue inciting Armenophobic war crimes against Armenia and Artsakh.”
“We call upon the Australian Government to call crimes by name, and this was an attack by Azerbaijan backed by Turkey, who have supported with high-level weaponry and the deployment of Islamist jihadists previously fighting in Syria.”
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The ANC-AU otherwise welcomed Payne’s call on parties to the conflict “and all other sides” to support the efforts of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group to achieve peace in the region.
“This call from the Foreign Minister is integral for peace in the region to ensue. Turkey, as the other unwelcome side, is inflaming and participating in Azerbaijan’s attacks on Armenia and Artsakh,” Kayserian added.
Full statement is below:
Armenian National Committee of Australia