NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to address Armenian Genocide commemoration in Sydney

The recently re-elected Premier of New South Wales, the Hon. Gladys Berejiklian will address the National Armenian Genocide Commemoration Evening on Wednesday 24th April 2019 in Sydney, marking the 104th Anniversary of the Genocide of the Armenians and other Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire during World War I, the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) reports.

Last month, Ms Berejiklian – the grandchild of Armenian Genocide survivors – became the first female to be popularly elected as the Premier of Australia’s largest state, after historically leading her party to election victory.

“We are honoured that the National Armenian Genocide Commemoration Evening will be graced by the presence of Premier Gladys Berejiklian,” said Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) Executive Director, Haig Kayserian. “It should not surprise us that after making history last month, the Premier’s commitment to honouring and advancing the Armenian cause remains as steadfast as ever.”

The National Armenian Genocide Commemoration Evening, organised by the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee (AGCC) of Australia, will include a keynote address by the Vice President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Dr. Melanie O’Brien. Dr. O’Brien is a Senior Lecturer of International Law at the University of Western Australia, teaching International Humanitarian Law, Public International Law, and Research units.

Dr. O’Brien’s keynote address at the National Armenian Genocide Commemoration Evening is titled “Social Death: The Armenian Genocide and Cultural Destruction”, where she will be speaking to photographs she has personally taken of specific sites of Armenian heritage that were destroyed, proving that targeting religion and culture is as much a tactic of genocide as physical destruction.

The National Armenian Genocide Commemoration Evening is an annual event. It will be held at The Concourse in Chatswood on Wednesday, 24th April 2019 (7pm for 7:30pm start), is regularly attended by approximately 1,000 members of the Sydney Armenian community, religious, political, NGO, media, diplomatic and academic leaders from across the country.