CANBERRA: Mr. Steve Georganas MP has joined growing calls for Federal Australian  recognition of the genocides of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek citizens of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

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.

Mr. Georganas is the current Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services. He has spoken on the Armenian Genocide in Federal Parliament and stood alongside the cause of the Armenian-Australian, Assyrian-Australian and Greek-Australian communities for a long time.

Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU), Haig Kayserian thanked the Member for Adelaide for his principled support.

“The Joint Justice Initiative is moving towards our goal of seeing Australia side with truth and justice on this important issue of human rights,” said Mr. Kayserian.

“Mr. Georganas and his fellow signatories of the Joint Justice Initiative are important allies in this pursuit, and we thank them for their principled support,” he added.

The Joint Justice Initiative has so far announced the support of Georganas, Michael Sukkar, Senator Louise Pratt, Warren Entsch, Joel Fitzgibbon MP, Andrew Wilkie MP, Julian Leeser MP, Michelle Rowland MP, Senator Paul Scarr, Tony Zappia MP, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Senator Hollie Hughes, Senator Rex 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.



More information here.