Member of Australia’s NSW parliament John Ajaka formally acknowledged the historical reality of the Armenian Genocide in a speech on the floor of the NSW parliament this week.

He also declared that Armenians had been forced out of Western Armenia, the Armenian National Committee of Australia reports.

”t is recognised that the tragedy began when 250 Armenian leaders and intellectuals were arrested, deported and killed by the then Ottoman Government,” Ajaka said addressing his colleagues.

”By the tragedy’s end an estimated 1.5 million Armenians had been killed. The Armenian population was also permanently displaced from the lands of Western Armenia.”

“This genocide is a true example of the detrimental effects of discrimination,” concluded Ajaka

Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) Executive Director Varant Meguerditchian applauded the legislator for highlighting the forced removal of the Armenian people from their historic homeland in Western Armenia during the genocide.