Apr 26, 2010

Assyria: Worldwide Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide


Active ImageThe Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) Australia Chapter participated in the annual worldwide commemoration of the genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1918 during WWI against Turkey’s Christian Assyrian, Armenian and Pontic Greek constituents of Anatolia, strengthening the Assyrian links with Armenians and Hellenics.

 

 

Below is an press release by the Assyrian Universal Alliance:

The AUA representatives attended the observance conferences organized by the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee that took place on April 22 and 24. The first gathering was held at the Parliament House of New South Wells, and the second one at Macquarie University. Both events held in Sydney were attended by more than eight hundred people. The keynote speaker at these commemorations was Mr. Seto Boyadjian Esq, a political analyst and the former executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The Assyrian delegation included Mr. Hermiz Shahen, Deputy Secretary General of the Assyrian Universal Alliance and the Regional Secretary of Australia and New Zealand, Mr. David David, Executive Secretary of the AUA - Australia Chapter and the President of the Assyrian Australian National Federation, Miss Annabel Saint Vincent, Mr. Benjamin Benjamin, Mr. Paul Azzo, Mr. Nenos Nissan, Mr. Ben Jabro, and Mr. Ninos Aaron.

In addition to participating in these conferences, Assyrian activists joined the Armenian nationalists who protested outside the Turkish Consulate in Sydney on Sunday, April 18, 2010, demanding that modern Turkey recognize and condemn the horrible acts of its Ottoman Turk government.

On Friday, April 16, the Assyrian Universal Alliance representatives attended an important annual reception organized by the Australian Hellenic Council of NSW at Campsie in Sydney, celebrating the longstanding ties that have bonded Australians and Hellenics. The keynote speaker was Dr. Panayiotis Diamadis, a specialist in holocaust and genocide studies, who gave an informative seminar about the genocide in Anatolia, highlighting the passionate stance of the Australian people toward the victims of this genocide in providing assistance to the survivors. He spoke about the role of Australian WWI soldiers who advocated for Assyrian, Armenian and Pontic Greek refugees, deeds that these “diggers” recorded in their memoirs and reported in their correspondence with their headquarters in Australia.

The Assyrian Universal Alliance-Australia Chapter believes that through our united efforts, we can convince the international community to persuade the people and government of Turkey to recognize these heinous acts that were perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks against Turkey’s Armenian, Assyrian and Pontic Greek subjects.  

Assyrian Universal Alliance - Australian Chapter
PO Box 34, Fairfield NSW 1860 Australia.
E-mail: [email protected]