CANBERRA: In a powerful speech delivered on the floor of the Australian Senate on October 12, Senator Nick Xenophon reaffirmed the historical reality of the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian Genocides, paving the way for the Upper House to officially recognise these crimes against humanity.

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In his statement, Xenophon declared: “From 1915 to 1923, the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian people were the victims of one of the first modern genocides. The exact figures are not known, but it is estimated that over 3.5 million people died as a result of deliberate, systematic actions by the Ottoman empire.”

“The Armenian, Greek and Assyrian communities in Australia and around the world deserve to have these past atrocities acknowledged as what they were: genocide. Without acknowledgment, there cannot be acceptance and without acceptance there cannot be healing.”

The South Australian Senator paid tribute to the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) and the Australian Hellenic Council (AHC) for their efforts at raising awareness of the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian Genocides.

“In the coming months I will be working with the Armenian National Committee and the Australian Hellenic Council to formulate a motion to put to the Senate, and I will encourage all of my colleagues to support it,” Xenophon announced.

The Senator challenged the Australian Senate to not shy away from adopting a principled stance on these crimes against humanity for fear of offending Turkey.

“I understand the concerns of those who say that refusing to acknowledge genocide could in a sense make us complicit in this destruction. Previously, Australia has not formally acknowledged this genocide because of our diplomatic relationship with Turkey. I acknowledge these relationships are important, and our bond with Turkey, forged in our shared history of the events at Gallipoli, is a special one,” Xenophon said.

“If we do not acknowledge this history for fear of offending another country, where do we draw the line? When is an event or issue serious enough for us to take the risk? Or do we simply keep moving the boundaries further and further away, so we never have to act?”

Calling for a clear moral stance on this issue, Xenophon concluded: “It is time for Australia to choose a position. Either we acknowledge these genocides, or we refuse to. If we do not take a stand on this issue, we need to consider what it says about our country.”

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ANC Australia Executive Director Varant Meguerditchian welcomed Xenophon’s parliamentary declaration.

“This year, an unprecedented number of Federal MPs have joined the call for Australia to recognise the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian Genocides,” he said.

“It is particularly encouraging to have a high profile Australian Senator like Mr. Xenophon champion the cause and lead the way for official Australian recognition of these crimes against humanity. In the coming months, we look forward to working closely with Senator Xenophon to build up further support for a principled Australian position on this issue.”

Chairman of the AHC in NSW, George Velis, agreed with Meguerditchian’s assessment of the progress toward recognition of the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian Genocides by the Federal Parliament of Australia.

“More and more of our elected representatives are pressing the Australian government to adopt a position on this issue which is reflective of Australia’s moral integrity.”

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