The Armenian National Committee of Australia, welcoming the recent election of Malcolm Ternbul as the country’s Prime Minister, mentioned that the Armenian National Committee was impressed with Ternbul’s efforts I solving issues related to the Armenians and was impatiently waiting for the continuation of those strong relations.

To discuss the opportunities for Australia’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide during the new administration’s term in office and the future actions of the Armenian community, ArmenianGenocide100.org’s correspondent sat down for an interview with member of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Australia Regional Committee attending the 6^th session of the State Commission on Coordination of the events dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide Stepan Kerkyasharian, who has held various administrative positions in New South Wales for many years.

Ternbul is a longtime friend of the Armenian community of Australia and was one of the brilliant supporters for Armenian Genocide recognition in the country’s parliament. On November 23, 2013, as Minister of Telecommunication, he gave a speech at the House of Representatives in which he called for official recognition of the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian genocides.

ArmenianGenocide100.org: Mr. Kerkyasharian, it has been announced that the newly elected Prime Minister of Australia has been one of the active supporters of Armenian Genocide recognition in the country’s parliament. Taking this into account, how likely is it for Australia to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide?

Stepan Kerkyasharian: I always observe past examples and love following the actions of political figures, not their words. For instance, Jimmy Carter had acknowledged the Armenian Genocide in written form when he was running for President of the United States of America, but after his election, he didn’t reaffirm his position. The same goes for Barack Obama. I fear that the new Prime Minister of Australia might also do the same, and I think recognition is not very likely.

Over the past 20 years, there have been deputies, political figures and leaders of the opposition who have said the Armenian Genocide is a fact and that it must be recognized. Unfortunately, after being elected and forming a part of government, those opposition members aren’t keeping their word. It should be mentioned that Turkey has a strong political and economic impact on Australia. At the samem time, in this sense, Australia is following U.S. foreign policy, taking into account the economic ties with Turkey and the U.S. government’s position on official recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

ArmenianGenocide100.org: In that case, can the Armenian community of Australia gear its efforts towards the adoption of new motions for recognition by territorial self-government bodies? What can the community do?

S. G.: New South Wales and Southern Australia have already recognized the Armenian Genocide. Besides, just recently, in July, the United Church of Australia (Evangelical) recognized the Armenian Genocide in Pert city of Western Australia (in 2015, the Ryde suburb of Sydney and Willoughby City Council have recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide-ArmenianGenocide100.org). Of course, the Armenian National Committee must make great efforts. However, I believe the nature and the political approach need to be systematically revised.

For instance, during the term of Robert Car, who used to be Australia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and was Prime Minister of New South Wales prior to that, New South Wales not only recognized the Armenian Genocide, but also helped place an Armenian cross-stone in the building of the parliament of New South Wales (New South Wales recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1997, and a cross-stone dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide was placed in the parliament in 1999-ArmenianGenocide100.org). However, when figures of the Armenian community asked him about recognition of the Armenian Genocide following his appointment in the new office a couple of years ago, Car replied that federal government officials believed that that should be up to historians to decide. He was criticized for expressing his personal view in front of a public audience, but in reality, he was presenting the position of the government as the foreign minister. So, we need to be more patient with political figures and lead a more serious policy.

ArmenianGenocide100.org: In any case, do the Armenian National Committee and other community organizations have the potential needed to achieve more success in this area?

S. G.: I’m certain that if the Armenian National Committee and the other community organizations reconsider their courses of action, they’ll achieve success since they have the potential. But for now, I don’t think other states will recognize the Armenian Genocide.

ArmenianGenocide100.org: How would you assess the activities of the State Commission on Coordination of the events dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide? What were your expectations?

S. G.: The sessions of the Commission that I attended were very encouraging, and I hope to see the establishment of a permanent council, that is, the Pan-Armenian Council because we need some kind of centralized policy on the Diaspora. We have reached the point of the crisis where the Armenian community of Syria has collapsed, the Armenian community of Lebanon might collapse, and the other communities are short-lived, meaning we might lose them after two or three generations. We can’t save the Diaspora by working separately. Of course, our political parties and community organizations do a good job, but they need to work in a more coordinated and centralized manner. The future council can be that guiding authority.

Samson Hovhannisyan