Thursday, August 10 2023 19:42

ArmInfo. In the lead-up to the 250 days of Azerbaijan's illegal medieval siege against 120,000  indigenous Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), the peak public  affairs body of the Armenian-Australian community is calling on  Federal and State Parliamentarians to co-sponsor the Artsakh Blockade  Statement, the Armenian Hay Dat Committee of Australia (ANC-AU)  reports.

As the source notes, with the hope of addressing Australian Foreign  Affairs Minister, Senator the Hon. Penny Wong's silence on this  developing crisis, the ANC-AU seeks to demonstrate the will of  elected officials across the country and their calls to end this  humanitarian crisis. 

The statement reads: I stand in solidarity with Armenian-Australians  and the International community, affirming the statement made by the  International Association of Genocide Scholars declaring that a  continuation of Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of Artsakh  (Nagorno-Karabakh) puts the Armenian people of Artsakh at risk of  genocide. I support the ruling of the International Court of Justice,  which demands that the Azerbaijani Government take all measures at  its disposal to ensure the unimpeded movement of people, vehicles and  supplies between Armenia and Artsakh through the Lachin corridor. I  call on Australia unequivocally to convey such sentiments with  respect to the blockade through all bilateral and multilateral  international channels until the illegal blockade is lifted. 

The fourteen signatories thus far include: Jerome Laxale - Federal  Member for Bennelong; Paul Fletcher - Federal Member for Bradfield;  Senator Jordon Steele-John - Senator for Western Australia; Henry  Pike - Federal Member for Bowman; Michael Sukkar - Federal Member for  Deakin; Elizabeth Watson Brown - Federal Member for Ryan; Bob Katter  - Federal Member for Kennedy; Mark Coure MP - NSW Member for Oatley;  Hugh McDermott - NSW Member for Prospect; Tim James - NSW Member for  Willoughby; Jacqui Munro - NSW Member of the Legislative Council;  Tanya Davies - NSW Member for Badgerys Creek; Kobi Shetty - NSW  Member for Balmain and; Irene Pnevmatikos - SA Member of the  Legislative Council. 

Armenian National Committee of Australia Executive Director Michael  Kolokossain said, "As we approach 250 days of this illegal blockade,  the Foreign Affairs Minister has an opportunity to correct  Australia's position on this issue and call on Azerbaijan to allow  unfettered movement along the Lachin corridor, in line with the  unprecedented calls from the international community."

On the third day of the protests, the Armenians of Los Angeles  paralyzed traffic on 134 Freeway, one of the most important transport  arteries in Southern California. Representatives of the Armenian  community demand from the leadership of the United States, from the  world community to raise their voice in defense of the inhabitants of  Artsakh, who today are in real danger of physical destruction.