The Federation of Pontian Associations of Australia has urged the Australian government to condemn Azerbaijan’s hostilities against Armenia, that have resulted in the deaths and displacement of thousands of people.
“This unprovoked attack on Armenian sovereignty, territory and integrity must be denounced by the international community,” the statement read, condemning the attacks that erupted on 13 September.
“The recent attacks are a continuation of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides of 1914-1924. It is no coincidence that the attacks took place on the days when these Christian populations were commemorating the anniversary of 100 years since the holocaust of multicultural Smyrna, when more than 125,000 Greeks and Armenians were massacred by the ideological ancestors, sympathisers and collaborators of the Azeri government.
“Such attacks will not stop until the world unites against this level of aggression and unjustified violence,” the Federation said in its statement, calling the attacks “brutal,” “unconscionable” and a “modern manifestation of the genocide committed against the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek people over 100 years ago”.
The tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have exploded over territorial claims.
Armenia has announced the deaths of 49 troops following “an attack with artillery, mortars, drones and large-calibre rifles” from its neighbour whereas Azerbaijan denies attacking first and claims its troops had responded to “large-scale provocations” by the Armenian military, maintaining that Armenian forces had fired at Azerbaijani military positions in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar and Lachin regions first.
The recent armed conflict is the biggest since 2020, when the death toll reached 286.