CANBERRA: On 2 July 2026, the Armenian and Greek communities of Canberra, together with their allies, gathered at the Canberra Hellenic Club to commemorate the 111th anniversary of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides.
Jointly hosted by the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) and the Canberra Association of Pontos 'Trapezounta', the commemoration brought together more than 50 community members, elected representatives, diplomats, clergy and supporters to honour the memory of the 2.5 million Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks who perished during the Genocide.
Special guests in attendance included:
- Mr Michael Pettersson MLA, Member for Yerrabi and ACT Minister for Multicultural Affairs
- Mr Andrew Braddock MLA, Member for Yerrabi and ACT Greens Deputy Leader
- Ms Caitlin Tough MLA, Member for Brindabella and ACT Government Whip
- His Excellency Stavros Venizelos, Ambassador of Greece to Australia
- His Excellency Nikolaos Varellas, Deputy High Commissioner of Cyprus to Australia
Attendees heard from leading genocide scholar and keynote speaker, Dr Deborah Mayersen, who delivered an insightful presentation examining the military dimensions of the Smyrna Catastrophe. Dr Mayersen highlighted the critical role armed forces can play in preventing, responding to and mitigating mass atrocities.
Delivering this year's Advocacy Address, ANC-AU Political Affairs Director Sebastian Majarian reflected on the importance of genocide recognition and education, while highlighting Australia's extraordinary humanitarian response to the Armenian Genocide.
"The absence of education and recognition is not only an injustice to descendant communities who have endured more than a century of genocide denial," Mr Majarian said. "It is also an injustice to the Australian servicemen, missionaries, nurses and ordinary citizens whose compassion and sacrifice helped save tens of thousands of lives."
He continued: "As an Armenian-Australian, I am immensely proud of this history. Yet I also believe, alongside our Greek and Assyrian brothers and sisters, that it is one of Australia's greatest shames that we have allowed these stories to be forgotten."
Representing the Australian Institute for Holocaust & Genocide Studies (AIHGS), Dr Panayiotis Diamadis also addressed the gathering, underscoring the importance of genocide recognition and highlighting several remarkable examples of Australians who intervened to protect victims during the Genocide.
The evening concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by President of the Canberra Association of Pontos, Ms Angie Triandafilou, who expressed her gratitude to the local community for its tireless advocacy and commitment to ensuring the stories of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides continue to be remembered.
Mr Majarian welcomed the strong turnout and expressed his appreciation for those in attendance: "I would like to sincerely thank everyone who joined us to commemorate, particularly our distinguished guests, speakers, volunteers and supporters whose presence helped make this event so meaningful."
"While we gather each year to honour the memory of those who were lost, remembrance alone is not enough. We must continue working together to ensure these crimes are properly recognised and taught, so that the stories of the victims, the courage of the survivors, and the extraordinary humanitarian response of Australians are never forgotten. There is still more work to be done, and we remain committed to that task," he continued.
