SYDNEY: The Hon. Maxine McKew MP used a Constituency Address in Parliament on Wednesday to affirm her position on the Armenian Genocide, while paying tribute to the life of Sydney-based survivor Mr. Arshag Badelian, who recently passed away.

This follows a meeting between the office of the Parliamentary Secretary and the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) in Canberra last week, where issues raised by the Armenian-Australian community last November were discussed.

McKew, who is the Federal Member for Australia's most densely Armenian-populated electorate of Bennelong, had pledged during her 2007 election campaign that if elected, she would "advocate for recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the government of Australia".

ANC Australia President, Varant Meguerditchian said Wednesday's address is what they expect will be the "first step" in that advocacy.

McKew said in Parliament: "...the International Association of Genocide Scholars passed a resolution unanimously recognising the mass killings as the Armenian Genocide. Today some 20 countries, including Greece, France, Germany, Poland and Canada are among those who consider what took place in the years following 1915 to be an act of genocide."

"Madame Deputy Speaker, that too is my view."

McKew also mentioned her government's support for the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey, referring to the signed Protocols between the two countries. She said the Protocols "represent a start ".

She added: "I also recognise this is a difficult issue for Turkey. Nonetheless, to face the future, we must accept what happened in the past."

Meguerditchian said that ANC Australia will again meet with McKew to discuss "the lack of progress" on the Protocols due to "preconditions" placed on Armenia by Turkey.

"The overwhelming majority of Armenians agree with Ms McKew that normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey will be a positive step, and we will meet with her to discuss the issues confronting the current process," added Meguerditchian.

McKew went on to acknowledge the sad passing of one of Sydney's last remaining Armenian Genocide survivors in Arshag Badelian.

Meguerditchian added: "We welcome Ms McKew's acknowledgement of Mr. Badelian's life and times, and along with his family and all Armenian-Australians, we welcome the first step in what we expect will be sustained advocacy towards Federal Australian recognition of the Armenian Genocide."

McKew is the second Federal Member of Parliament to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and the sad passing of Arshag Badelian this week, after Paul Fletcher did likewise on Monday (click here).