SYDNEY: The Honourable Walt Secord NSW MLC joined the Sydney Armenian community on Friday, March 16 in paying tribute to the memory of the victims of the Sumgait Massacre during a commemorative evening organised by the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) at the Armenian Cultural Centre in Willoughby.

AYF Australia member Haig Vartoukian recalled the tragic massacre that sparked the movement for the liberation of Nagorno Karabakh 24 years ago in his opening speech.

“The events in Sumgait during the winter of 1988 demonstrated to Armenians the world over that they could never be safe under any form of Azeri rule,” said Vartoukian, inviting attendees to observe a moment of silence to honour the memory of the unfortunate victims.

ANC Australia Executive Director Varant Meguerditchian, who in 2010 met with the President of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, delivered a presentation on the progress achieved in Australia in raising awareness for the right of the people of Karabakh for self-determination.

“In recent years ANC Australia advocacy has resulted in several state and federal MPs publicly lending their support for the right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to determine their own political and economic future on the basis of the pricinple of self-determination outlined in Article III of the Helsinki Final Act,” said Meguerditchian.

“As Azerbaijan continues to engage in war rhetoric and increase its military spending, it is essential that we gain broad support from our elected representatives for the right of Nagorno Karabakh to self-determination as the only option that guarantees the safety and security of the people of the region.”

Secord addressed the gathered in a speech in which he described the motivation which lead him to travel to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

“I have known about, and been interested in, the Armenian and the Armenian genocide story since my teenage years. I have had a life-long interest in the study of genocide and of the persecution of people on ethnic and religious grounds,” said Secord.

“My interest in the Armenian genocide came about decades ago, from my own personal study of the Holocaust. That study led me to the famous quote by Adolf Hitler in August 1939 when he said: ‘Who, after all speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?’"

Recalling the importance of marking the anniversary of the Sumgait Massacre, Secord stated: “It proved that Armenians could be murdered for their origins in the modern era. But, it also sparked the beginning of the movement for Armenians in Artsakh to achieve independence.”

“Because of this; the massacre of Sumgait has a unique place in the Armenian story.”