Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the ongoing attacks against the Republic of Armenia's sovereign borders by Azerbaijan, which commenced on Tuesday 12 September 2022. These attacks are a grave breach of Armenia's sovereignty. I call on Azerbaijan to respect the sovereign territory of Armenia and to retreat immediately to the agreed borders.

As a result of this military aggression, the Azerbaijani army has advanced up to 7.5 kilometres into the sovereign territory of Armenia along an 8.5-kilometre-wide front, displacing up to 7,600 Armenians. This is a serious violation of the ceasefire agreement concerning the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

The many Armenian Australians in my electorate of Bradfield and across northern Sydney are, rightly, very troubled about this issue. Last Sunday, hundreds of Armenian Australians took to the streets to call on Australian media outlets to report on this matter. They have my full support.

All who value the norms of international law and respect for human dignity will, I am sure, share these concerns. I call on the Australian government to signal clear and unambiguous support for the protection of Armenian citizens and civilian infrastructure according to international law and to signal Australia's strong support for regional peace and stability and the protection of sovereign borders.