Armenian Community Outraged by Australian Prime Minister's Statement on Genocide Anniversary

The Armenian community in Australia is preparing to express its anger towards Prime Minister Scott Morrison on April 24, during the commemoration ceremony for the 104th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, as he avoids providing clear definitions and evaluations regarding the Genocide.

According to Armenpress, referencing The Sydney Morning Herald, leaders of the Armenian community have refused to read the Prime Minister's statement during the memorial event. In his statement, Morrison mentioned that he joins the Armenian diaspora in "mourning and remembering the horrors that occurred to the Armenian people in the final years of the Ottoman Empire."

Notably, in 2011, during a parliamentary discussion, Morrison, who was not the Prime Minister at that time, referred to what happened to the Armenians as "genocide" and stated that it was among "the greatest crimes against humanity." However, in his current statement for the 104th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, such a qualification is conspicuously absent.

Haik Kayseryan, the head of the Armenian National Committee of Australia, who has refused to read the Prime Minister's statement, commented: "His behavior is offensive to the approximately 50,000 members of the Armenian community in Australia, most of whom are descendants of Genocide survivors." Kayseryan noted that with such phrasing, Australia has equated the Armenian Genocide to a car accident.

Although Australia has yet to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide, the country’s largest states, New South Wales and South Australia, have acknowledged the historical fact.

On April 24, the main speaker at the major event dedicated to the 104th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Sydney will be Gladys Berejiklian, the Armenian-origin Premier of New South Wales.