On Wednesday, 25 September at 5:30pm, the NSW Legislative Council debated and unanimously adopted the Notice of Motion tabled by the Hon. Susan Carter MLC, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).
The motion, tabled on Thursday, 19 September 2024, marked the first anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s over 100,000 Armenians and came up one week later for debate.
The NSW Government’s Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs, the Hon Mark Buttigieg MLC seconded the motion, whilst statements supporting the motion were also provided by the Hon. Cate Faehrmann (NSW Greens) and the Hon. Jacqui Munro MLC (NSW Liberals).
In addition to condemning the 24-hour military assault and forcible displacement of Armenians, the motion also called for several pro-Armenian motions. These included calling for Azerbaijan to “withdraw from the internationally recognised borders of Armenia”, “to release all Armenian political prisoners”, “cease the deliberate destruction of Christian and cultural heritage of Artsakh”, and allow the right of return of the Armenians of Artsakh.
Susan Carter MLC, who participated in the third ANC-AU Delegation to the Republic of Armenia in September 2023 and witnessed the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh firsthand hand said, “The closing of the Lachin corridor and invasion of Artsakh did not stop the military tension. It continues, with the internationally recognised borders of the Republic of Armenia—a rare democracy in the region—now under threat. The military cemetery, high on the hill over Yerevan, continues to grow with the bodies of those too young to die.”
She added, “The International Court of Justice has called for the right of return for displaced Armenians, protected with enforceable international guarantees. Those calls have been ignored. The $500,000 in humanitarian aid given by Australia has been exhausted, and the demand to care for the refugees continues. A year on, the conflict continues, as does the suffering.”
Mark Buttigieg MLC, who has established a close friendship with the ANC-AU, spoke on behalf of the government and said, “I start by expressing the New South Wales Government’s condemnation of the unconscionable attack by Azerbaijan on Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023. We condemn the humanitarian emergency that military action created by forcing almost all Armenians living there out of their homes.”
The third speaker, Cate Faehrmann MLC, who heads the NSW Greens Multicultural portfolio, also spoke in support of the motion and reiterated the Australian Greens’ support for self-determination and said, “We support the right to self-determination of all people, including those of the Republic of the Nagorno-Karabakh. I thank the Hon. Susan Carter for bringing the motion. It is good to discuss it, put it on record and get multi-party support for this important issue.”
The final speaker, Jacqui Munroe MLC, similarly supported the motion and took aim at Azerbaijan and the international community’s recent decision to host COP29 in Baku. She said, “In my view, it is unfortunate and disappointing that COP29 is being held in Azerbaijan this year. It sends the wrong message to the people of Artsakh, who should be respected and treated as though they are native indigenous inhabitants to the region, which they are. They deserve a home in that area.
The Armenian National Committee of Australia has written to all members of Parliament who spoke to the motion and thanked them and their colleagues for their ongoing solidarity with the Armenian-Australian community and the people of Artsakh.