Armenian Community Centre Melbourne in Springvale, Victoria | Community centre

Armenian Community Centre Melbourne

Locality: Springvale, Victoria

Address: 8-14 Police Road, Springvale, Vic 3171 3171 Springvale, VIC, Australia

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25.01.2022 The last farewell to Enger Berge Tashjian! ...

18.01.2022 STATEMENT ----------------------------------------- The ceasefire statement on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict blatantly disregards the existential security needs... of Armenians ------------------------------------------ The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) learnt about the ceasefire statement on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict (signed on November 9) with utter shock and dismay. The agreement was signed to end an unprovoked war against the Armenian population of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh that had been unleashed by the Turkish-Azeri coalition supported by terrorist fighters. The EAFJD categorically rejects this document for the following reasons: 1. The document does not guarantee the physical security of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh / Nagorno Karabakh in a sustainable manner. 2. This signed cease-fire document clearly puts the very existence of the Armenian state and hence the Armenian nation in danger: it realizes the imperialistic vision of pan-Turkism, by stipulating that the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan and hence also Turkey be directly linked to the rest of Azerbaijan, via the territory of the Republic of Armenia. This is a grave violation of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, imposed by force. 3. Two out of the three co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk group, i.e. France and the US were completely sidelined and were absent from the negotiating table when the ceasefire statement was concluded. Instead, a third county that has played a destructive and destabilizing role in the conflict, including by deploying terrorist fighters, i.e. Turkey was actively involved in negotiating the document. 4. This statement was imposed in a context where the native Armenian population of Artsakh was forced to flee their ancestral homeland to avoid new massacres and war crimes, committed by the Azerbaijani-Turkish military. 5. One of the three basic principles of the OSCE Minsk Group - the principle of the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh has been completely left out of the statement. It is a fundamental right, recognized by all parties participating at the peace negotiations mediated by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, including by Azerbaijan. 6. The opinion of the Armenian people of Artsakh was never taken into account, whereas this statement first of all predetermines their future. The people of Artsakh have suffered the most from the consequences of the war unleashed on 27 September 2020 and the geopolitical and social isolation imposed by Azerbaijan since 1991. 7. The non-use of force, the other basic principle the Minsk process has also been completely ignored. As a matter of fact, this document was imposed to end an unprovoked war, imposed on the Armenians of Artsakh who were left alone in an unequal fight against the Azerbaijani army, supported by Turkey, NATO’s second strongest army and Syrian terrorist jihadists deployed by Ankara. Considering that fact that a lasting peace can only be achieved by duly taking into account the security needs of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh, their right to self-determination and without comprising the territorial integrity of Armenia, The EAFJD - calls on France, as one of the three co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk group, to actively exercise its full role and to ensure that any agreement to resolve the conflict be concluded by fully respecting the legitimate rights, interests, security needs of the Armenian side and without compromising the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia; - urges the OSCE Minsk group co-Chairs to ensure that the negotiation process takes place exclusively within the framework of the official mediating format and by excluding third parties, such as Turkey which has played a destructive role in the conflict resolution. The EAFJD calls on the European Union and its member states - to reject the statement of November 9, since it was signed under an immense pressure on the Armenian side and by sidelining two out of three co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk group (The EU has declared its unconditional support for the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on several occasions); - to finally condemn the war crimes perpetrated by the Azerbaijani-Turkish military against the civilian Armenian population as documented by international organizations and media; - to recognize the right to self-determination of the people of Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh as the only sustainable way to ensure their security in their historic homeland; - to send humanitarian aid to the 150,000 displaced civilians of Artsakh who found refuge in the Republic of Armenia; - to immediately sanction Azerbaijan and Turkey for unleashing an unprovoked war and carrying out war crimes and ethnic cleansing. The EAFJD also - calls on Armenia to immediately withdraw its signature from the document of November 9, 2020. - supports any peaceful actions undertaken by the people of Armenia aimed at finding democratic solutions to end the crisis. - firmly continues its work in Europe towards defending the fundamental rights of the Armenian people of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh. European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy

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15.01.2022 Merci France! The French Senate has recognised the Republic of Artsakh with a comprehensive 305-1 vote. Our colleagues at the ANC of Europe (EAFJD - European Ar...menian Federation for Justice and Democracy) explain: The French Senate recognized the Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh The resolution condemns the military aggression of Azerbaijan against the people of Nagorno Karabakh, emphasizing that Azerbaijan has been supported by the Turkish authorities i.a. through with the involvement of jihadist mercenaries and calls for the immediate withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from the territories occupied after 27 September, 2020. The French Senators also call for providing massive humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Nagorno Karabakh call for conducting an international investigation into the war crimes committed by Azerbaijan in particular against the civilian population of Nagorno Karabakh including the use of weapons prohibited by the international law call for an appropriate and firm response to Turkey for its role in this conflict call for action from the French Government to do everything in its power to ensure that negotiations for a lasting resolution of the conflict resume under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group emphasize that the negotiations should address the restoration of the borders defined in 1994 as well as the security of the Armenian populations and the right of return of displaced persons and the preservation of Armenian cultural and religious heritage. The resolution underlines that the security and freedom of the Armenian populations of Artsakh are not guaranteed under the Azerbaijani control, which is i.a. attested in the reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe (ECRI) and of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The Senate reminds of the Armenian massacres of Soumgaït, Kirovabad, in Baku and Maragha, systemically organized by the Azerbaijani authorities. The resolution of the French Senate also states that the Turkish military support provided to Azerbaijan is at the origin of the war unleashed on 27 September by Azerbaijan. It denounces the deployment of jihadist mercenary groups from Syria by Azerbaijan and Turkey. #RecognizeArtsakh

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12.01.2022 ANC-AU Executive Director Haig Kayserian: "We Reject This Deal, Let’s Unite Only in Baykar" Full text of speech below: "Always Was, Always Will Be.... I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather today, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Today, we stand here as the public affairs representatives of a broken Armenian-Australian community. An integral piece of the Armenian motherland, from where our ancestors derive, is under occupation after the Russian Federation brokered a deal as treacherous as the one forced upon the Armenians by Stalin during the days of the Soviet Union. Armenia and Azerbaijan have signed a ceasefire agreement that would take the majority of Artsakh away from its indigenous owners, force Armenians to leave homes they’ve inhabited for thousands of years, and allow the construction of a pan-Turkic Highway connecting Azerbaijan with fellow genocidal Armenophobic dictatorship Turkey, through sovereign Armenian lands. Since the Karabakh Liberation Movement of the 1980s and 1990s, there have been many deals proposed by world powers. Some have been entertained, even agreed to, by different Armenian administrations over the past three decades. But they have all been rejected by the Armenian people. This deal takes the worst components from every so-called compromise proposed, and packages it up with the unacceptable presence on Armenia’s doorstep of forces from the Republic of Turkey, who continues to commit their predecessors’ genocide against Armenians by denying the crime. Making it even harder to swallow is the fact that this agreement was forced on Armenia and Artsakh, after 44 days of war crimes by Azerbaijan, Turkey and Islamist Jihadi terrorists deployed from the Middle East. War crimes that included the use of illegal cluster bombs, chemical warfare in the form of white phosphorus munitions dropped on Artsakh’s pristine forests where people lay refuge, attacks on hospitals, schools, churches and civilian homes, beheadings of Armenian prisoners of war, open threats by Turkish and Azerbaijani officials of ethnic cleansing they said a ceasefire can only be achieved if Armenians leave their homes in Nagorno Karabakh. As these war crimes were ongoing, as the Armenian homeland was being ripped apart, the international community remained silent. Australia continues its silence. This international looking the other way has resulted in the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from the Armenian homeland, 105 years on from the Armenian Genocide. On the screens above, you will see carloads of Armenian refugees being forced to flee their millennia-inhabited homes because of the treacherous agreement that has resulted from these attacks. Russia is to blame, Azerbaijan is to blame, Turkey is to blame, Armenian leaders will be judged by their citizens But make no mistake, this deal is co-signed by all those countries who watched on as this resumption of genocide took place. Our message to the Australian Government: Your signature might be in invisible ink, but it is not invisible to Armenian-Australians. You ignored the pleas of your own citizens to call out and condemn such military aggression. Blinded by your diplomatic aspirations with bad actors, you swallowed hook, line and sinker the threats and propaganda of two foreign dictatorships and granted false equivalence to the roles being played by the aggressors and the victims. You took half the blame away from Aliyev and his cronies, and placed it on indigenous Armenians being indiscriminately bombed, thereby enabling the butchers of the Caucasus to continue what they started in 1915. We appreciate all those, some in this room, who have spoken out about this despite the Government’s culpable silence, despite the media’s simplistic false equivalence. We plead with you to continue doing the same, but with renewed vigour, as we begin a journey to pour ice on a deal that we do not accept. Let me be clearer, your Armenian-Australian constituents reject this deal! This is a deal that ignores the fundamental human rights to self-determination of our compatriots, whose democratic and legal expression of these rights in 1991 remains in force. This deal is one forced on our people under unacceptable duress. Once again for those in the back, we refuse this deal! If anybody thinks we are here to cry and mourn, please reconsider. There is no time for that. We have an ancestral motherland to save, heroes to honour, people to care for and return safely to their homes. And we will remember those who stand by us in this time of need. Our community has been broken for six weeks. This experience has united us like never before and affirmed the following: as a diaspora created because of a genocide that took the homes of our ancesors, our support for you will be ushered by your action against this occupation of the Armenian Republic of Artsakh. We will campaign and vote for only those who honour the right to self-determination and recognition of the Republic of Artsakh. For six weeks, we have not slept. Budgets, interest rates, jobs plans, even Covid have not played a part in our thinking. This will all continue to be secondary until Azerbaijan’s occupation of our motherland ends. We call on our friends: we need your advocacy and this is what we pledge to demand on behalf of our community. Now to our beloved community, Do not be discouraged. Do not bottle your frustrations, your anger, your grief and your sorrows, and throw that bottle away into the ocean. That would be surrender. Swallow your frustrations, your anger, your grief and your sorrows, and let these emotions make you roar. Roar louder than ever. Roar that you resist surrender. That you stand with Artsakh. Stand with Armenia. Now and forever. The idea of uniting around defeat is marketing talk for surrender. It is a line being peddled to us by the same foreign powers who sold our country to oil and dictatorships. 15,000 Armenians have died for #RecognizeArtsakh since 1988. We have no authority to surrender their sacrifice because we are being threatened that no surrender will mean more bloodshed. Do not allow these bullying forces to silence the most important element that has ensured our survival: that element of course, is baykar. Baykar loosely translates to struggle, but there is no real English-language equivalent for this word as it is exclusive to the Armenian experience. Without baykar, we would not have survived the Armenian Genocide. Without baykar, we would not have had Sartarabad. Without baykar, we would not have an independent Armenia today. Tonight, let’s recalibrate to baykar. Let’s recommit to baykar. Let’s redouble our baykar. Let’s unite only in baykar. Only baykar will deliver #RecognizeArtsakh. And baykar for the long haul is what we pledge to you as your Armenian National Committee of Australia."

12.01.2022 A PHENOMENAL EFFORT!! The Armenian-Australian and Armenian-New Zealand communities have dug deep in their pockets to raise $1,200,860 during today's eight-hour ...#ArtsakhStrong Telethon, hosted by Armenia Media - Armenian News from Australia! This is in addition to the over $1.4m already raised by the Armenian-Australian community, bringing the total downunder contribution to the All-Armenia Fund's Artsakh Appeal to over $2.6 million. Exemplary leadership from the entire community, and especially the Office of the Artsakh Republic in Australia! Let's keep this going! More information to come... #RecognizeArtsakh #

09.01.2022 VIDEO: Armenian Government TV Covers Australian Activism The official channel of the Armenian Government, www.facebook.com/hayernaysor.diaspora, interviewed our... Executive Director Haig Kayserian, who was asked some of the Armenian-Australian activism in light of Azerbaijan's Turkey-backed attacks on the Republic of Artsakh. The interview was conducted in Armenian, but contains English subtitles. To watch without subtitles, click https://youtu.be/blOAOV5VXSA To watch with Russian subtitles, click https://youtu.be/VWD9wDLrlDc #RecognizeArtsakh #ArtsakhStrong

06.01.2022 Nora Sevagian interviews Artemis Gregorian from the Armenian Relief Society in Artsakh. Artemis is an Armenian-Australian repat who after volunteering in Armen...ia, moved to the Artsakh Republic and has been living there since 1991. This is the third war she has witnessed, and dicusses why it is the more difficult one to date. See more

03.01.2022 Call for Australian Government action on Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) 1 November 2020 The Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (AIHGS) holds gr...ave concerns about the conflict in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), in particular, an increasing risk of genocide against the indigenous Armenian population. AIHGS urges the Australian Government to take immediate action to prevent further atrocities and war crimes against a people who have already endured genocide and never seen justice. Since 27 September 2020, Azerbaijan, supported by Turkey, has launched aggressive attacks against the region of Artsakh, including attacks targeting Armenian civilians. War crimes and crimes against humanity have characterised Azerbaijan’s actions to date, with the use of long range missiles, drone strikes and cluster bombs, which are banned under international law. These attacks have killed civilians, and destroyed homes in the capital Stepanakert, as well as hospitals, schools and cultural-religious sites such as the Holy Saviour (Ghazanchetsots) Cathedral in Shushi. International humanitarian law prevents the targeting of civilian infrastructure and religious or historical sites. More than 70,000 people have been displaced from the Republic of Artsakh; thousands more are taking refuge in underground basements. Turkey, which continues to deny the Armenian genocide perpetrated by its Ottoman predecessors a century ago, continues to provide material support to Azerbaijan in the form of weapons and foreign mercenaries from Syria. Indeed, President Erdogan has referred to Turkey’s intention to fulfill the mission of their grandfathers, an explicit statement of genocidal intent, and has recently referred to Armenians as remnants of the sword (kilic artigi a derogatory term for those who have survived mass killings and remain in Turkey). Likewise, hate speech and incitement by President Aliyev is a frequent and intrinsic part of Azerbaijan’s ultra-nationalist and anti-Armenian agenda. For example, in October, President Aliyev stated: We showed them who we are. We are chasing them like dogs." Hate speech and dehumanisation are important indicators of imminent genocide. Within the context of armed conflict, and evidence of Azerbaijan’s war crimes, crimes against humanity and a stated intention of ethnic cleansing, and combined with denial and impunity for past genocides against the Armenians, AIHGS asserts that there is a strong potential for genocide in Artsakh, should Azerbaijani forces push back the Armenian defence and take control of the area. Australia is a signatory to the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and has an obligation under the UN principle of the Responsibility to Protect to take action to prevent atrocity crimes and hold perpetrators accountable. To date, the Australian Government, despite admitting it is aware of material support from Turkey to Azerbaijan, has failed to call out the aggressive attacks against the Armenian population of Artsakh. AIHGS appeals to the Australian Government to take every necessary step to encourage a ceasefire and ensure the protection of civilians from war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. AIHGS calls on the Australian Government to: Acknowledge the atrocities and war crimes being committed by Azerbaijan and use all diplomatic means to pressure Azerbaijan to meet its obligations under international humanitarian law Condemn hate speech, genocidal intent and genocide denial by Azerbaijan and Turkey Support all necessary international efforts as a matter of urgency to monitor the situation and prevent attacks by Azerbaijan against Armenian civilians, including internationally brokered ceasefires Use all means at its disposal to encourage those nations supporting Azerbaijan with weapons and other material support to cease immediately Condemn the use of foreign mercenaries Take action to hold Azerbaijan and Turkey accountable for atrocities and war crimes. Provide humanitarian aid to the people of Artsakh

02.01.2022 This past Sunday, our scouts had their Investiture Ceremony (Poghantsoum) and annual Christmas Party Although this year was very challenging we made it throu...gh and were lucky enough to have our last few weeks back at the Agoump. We would like to thank all the Scouts and their parents for sticking through and look forward to seeing everyone back next year

02.01.2022 BREAKING NEWS: AUSTRALIAN PARTS FOUND IN AZERBAIJANI DRONES. Here is what we know. To see our letter to the company responsible for manufacturing these parts watch video at https://www.facebook.com/ancaustralia/videos/744545662764907

01.01.2022 BREAKING! ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF AUSTRALIA DEMANDS PUBLIC CORRECTION AND APOLOGY FROM 7NEWS Sydney The following is an excerpt from our letter sent to C...hannel 7's Sydney News Director, which has also been copied to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, ABC Media Watch and Federal Minister for Communications the Hon. Paul Fletcher MP: "... your news report deliberately associated the Auburn Mosque vandalism with the Armenian-Australian community by reporting 'Turkey right now is involved in a wider conflict with Armenia', and thereby implying that the vandalism was connected with this 'conflict' and Armenians in Australia...this isat bestappallingly sloppy journalism, where no one has bothered to make the most basic enquiry and research. Of more concern, it appears to be a deliberate disregard of the facts for the sake of sensationalism and 'ethnic-baiting', and tantamount to defaming the Armenian-Australian community. Either way, your reckless news report has endangered members of the Armenian-Australian community and its institutions with potential retribution by revenge seekers incited by your irresponsible report. We demand that you immediately correct and dispel the above false association on air and website and prominently publish our second statement on your website, as well as issue an apology to the Armenian-Australian community." The letter refers to this report at https://www.facebook.com/7NEWSsydney/videos/1034948700287610 -- Read our full letter below and join the ANC-AU First Responders to take action tomorrow! Dear Mr. Morrison We refer to the above news report, a link to which may be found here. As the peak public affairs committee of the Armenian-Australian community, we hereby convey our strongest objection and utter dismay in relation to the irresponsible manner in which your above news report hasvery clearly contrary to factimputed that a member (or members) of the Armenian-Australian community was somehow responsible or in any way connected with the above vandalism. At 10:42am, the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU), upon becoming aware of the vandalism, and not knowing who was the culprit, issued a statement which unequivocally condemned the vandalism. That first statement, a copy of which may be found here, was sent to all media including Channel 7 News (via [email protected]). Later in the day (at 1:26pm), when it became very clear from basic enquiries with the NSW Police and social media searches, that the culprit who had been arrested was not a member of the Armenian-Australian community, rather an Australian Muslim from Iraq who may have had some mental health issues, the ANC-AU issued a second statement. Our records show that the email containing this statement was opened three timesat 1:33pm, 1:44pm and 3:12pm by those operating the [email protected] inbox. A copy of that second statement may be found here. Each of the above statements were issued by the ANC-AU to avoid the possibility of inter-communal tensions, including retributory attacks on the Armenian-Australian community and its institutions. Despite the above, your news report deliberately associated the Auburn Mosque vandalism with the Armenian-Australian community by reporting Turkey right now is involved in a wider conflict with Armenia, and thereby implying that the vandalism was connected with this conflict and Armenians in Australia. In light of the above, this isat bestappallingly sloppy journalism, where no one has bothered to make the most basic enquiry and research. Of more concern, it appears to be a deliberate disregard of the facts for the sake of sensationalism and ethnic-baiting, and tantamount to defaming the Armenian-Australian community. Either way, your reckless news report has endangered members of the Armenian-Australian community and its institutions with potential retribution by revenge seekers incited by your irresponsible report. We demand that you immediately correct and dispel the above false association on air and website and prominently publish our second statement on your website, as well as issue an apology to the Armenian-Australian community. Your immediate attention to this urgent matter is demanded. Yours Haig Kayserian Executive Director