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Australia's former Defense Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon MP has used a speech in parliament to call on Federal Government action on the human rights injustices continuing to be suffered by the indigenous Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and urged national recognition of the Republic of Artsakh as the "pathway to a lasting peace", reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).

The member for Hunter, who is also co-convenor of the Federal Australia-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Union (Friendship Group), spoke in the parliament's Federation Chamber ahead of a protest being held outside the building by over one hundred Armenian-Australians from Sydney and Melbourne.

"Over the past two months, the Armenian Australian community has been in a state of overwhelming devastation, shock and despair as they've witnessed their homeland desecrated at the hands of Azerbaijani forces including paid, Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries," Fitzgibbon said.

"On 27 September 2020, the enemy forces launched large-scale attacks against Armenians of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Watching this unfold from halfway around the world, today Armenian Australians are gathering outside our parliament to demand an end to the carnage being played out in Artsakh."

"The relative silence of the international community, including us here in Australia, is of course of great concern to those gathering outside parliament today," he added.