Willoughby is home to a proud community of some 3 500 Armenian Australians. With the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Armenian Republic of Artsakh, our Armenian community have felt the pain and suffering taking place in their homeland. I had the opportunity to witness this crisis firsthand when I was given the recent honour of co-leading an Australian parliamentary delegation to the Republic of Armenia from 25-29 September.
As well as assessing the crisis on the ground, the delegation sought to raise awareness, understanding and mutual opportunity in respect of Armenia's people, community, economy, culture and history. In what was a busy itinerary, the delegation met with political, community, faith and business leaders of Armenia. Our itinerary included visits to some of Armenia's picturesque mountains and historical sites, including the Armenian Genocide Memorial to pay our respects to all Armenian lives tragically lost.
Armenia is once again subject to external aggression, and our delegation was pleased to be able to represent Australia’s solidarity with the Armenian people during this difficult time. We arrived following the aggression of neighbouring Azerbaijan which had imposed a nine-month blockade over the Lachin Corridor, making life unbearable for the people of Artsakh. With this crisis hitting home, the Armenian community of Willoughby have rallied to give generously to churches, charities and aid organisations helping the Armenian people fleeing violence and oppression. I commend the people of Willoughby for their compassion and community spirit.
The suffering of Armenia, of course, has been accompanied by the escalating crisis in the Middle East with the launch of a brutal attack on Israel by the terrorist group Hamas on 7 October. In response to these Hamas attacks, the State of Israel has every right to defend itself. Australia and the world must afford Israel every support it needs to keep its people safe from terrorist attacks and assaults on its territorial sovereignty.
At the same time, we must ensure that both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to exist in peace and security. We all despair at the loss of innocent human life from all sides of this conflict. I invite you to join me in appealing for calm to prevail, hoping and praying that there can be peace, stability and security for all people of goodwill in Israel and Palestine.
