TRANSCRIPT
Armenian-Australians have arrrived in Canberra from around the country to speak up about an ongoing humanitarian crisis, after more than a hundred thousand ethnic Armenians have fled the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The region is recognised internationally as part of Azerbaijan, but has a large historic population of ethnic Armenians, for whom it is known as Artsahk, a breakaway state which is not recognised by the United Nations.
Following a short military operation by Azerbaijan last month [[19-20 September]], ethnic Armenian leaders were forced to capitulate and to disband armed forces.
Warnings by ethnic Armenian leaders that ethnic cleansing will take place, denied by Azerbaijan, have lead to a mass exodus.
Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia, Vache Kahramanian, says that the latest developments have hit close to home.
"The Armenian-Australian community will have someone they know, whether it be family, whether it be relatives, whether it will be close friends on the ground who are going through this huminatarian crisis and it's distressing, it's saddening. But we need to be resolute to call out this aggression to hold countries accountabl,e which is why we're here in Canberra united as a community."
Protester Olivia Dilanchian says that Armenian-Australians are "heartbroken" to see ethnic Armenians leave a region with which they a share a long historical connection.
"It feels terrible, it feels terrible that the lands that I've stood on, [which have] seen Armenians there have been there for hundreds of years, are just being pushed out of their land, pushed out of their homes. How would you feel? How would I feel if I had to leave right now with nothing but the clothes on my back, never to return? It's heartbreaking and I'm doing everything I can from this side of the world.”
Nearly 120,000 ethnic Armenians, almost the entire population, have fled Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan took military control of the territory, with thousands fleeing to Goris in Southern Armenia.
This woman says that her family faced a perilous journey with into Armenia along the Lachin corridor, the only road that connects Nagorno-Karabakh to the country.
"We were on the road for 26-29 hours. There was a lot of traffic, it was hard to get here, my mother is sick, and my brother has children and grandchildren. It was very difficult."
A United Nations delegation, the first mission to the region in three decades, arrived on Sunday, describing the ongoing crisis as a complicated and delicate geopolitical situation.
Protection officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Angela Moore, says that aid organisations on the ground doing what they can.
"People are arriving exhausted, leaving all their belongings and homes behind. People are in urgent need. U-N-H-C-R has been on the ground since the earliest days of the emergency, providing assistance in the form of foldable beds, mattresses, and bedding. We have trucks arriving and will continue to provide aid to those most in need.”
Azerbaijan's government has continued to reject claims of ethnic cleansing, and says it will uphold ethnic Armenians' rights in the region after the military takeover.
With a humanitarian crisis unfolding in their homeland, Armenian-Australians have come to the capital for their message to be heard.
Mr Kahramanian says that he hopes the Australian public and the government will respond by providing aid to the ethnic Armenians affected.
"We are sick and tired of hearing concerns and sympathy that has led 120,000 people to be forcibly displaced from their homeland. What Australia needs to do is join in its international allies in donating humanitarian assistance to people on the ground."
In a statement to SBS News, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said the department is deeply concerned and closely monitoring the unfolding humanitarian situation.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has publicly called for Azerbaijan to cease its military escalation and has encouraged dialogue and a commitment by all sides to a just and lasting peace.
Protestor Houry Mayissian says that for Australian-Armenians, words are not enough.
"We don't just want words, we want action, we want the Australian government as well as our representatives as Australian Armenians, to stand up for us."
