Willoughby and Ryde Mayors urge Australian FM to call on Azerbaijan to open the Lachin Corridor
Mayor Tanya Taylor of the Willoughby City Council and Mayor Sarkis Yedelian of the City of Ryde Council recently added to calls for Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator the Hon. Penny Wong to immediately call on Azerbaijan to open the Berdzor (Lachin) humanitarian corridor, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).
Both Taylor and Yedelian, who are members of the Australian Friends of Artsakh network, appealed to the Foreign Affairs Minister of Australia at the request of the ANC-AU following Azerbaijan’s illegal and inhuman siege of the Republic of Artsakh, which commenced on the 12th of December, 2022.
In her letter to the Foreign Minister, Mayor Taylor reaffirmed the Willoughby City Council’s support for the people of Artsakh and their right to self-determination, endorsing the most recent resolution passed by the Council on the 22nd of August 2022, which was moved by Armenian-Australian councillor Sarkis Mouradian.
Acknowledging the significant distress in the community, Mayor Taylor’s letter said, “I am writing to you to express our concerns regarding these continued violations by Azerbaijan. I humbly request for you to call on the Azerbaijan government to honour the Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement by reopening the Lachin Corridor and ceasing all hostilities towards Artsakh and the Armenian people.”
Armenian-Australian Mayor Yedelian, elected as Mayor at an Extraordinary Council Meeting on the 13th of December 2022, also wrote directly to the Foreign Minister urging the Australian
government to help end the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Republic of Artsakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockade.
In 2018, the Ryde City Council became the first local government area and second legislative body in Australia to recognise the Republic of Artsakh and the rights to self-determination of its citizens. In 2020, during the height of the 44-day Artsakh war unleashed by Azerbaijan, the Willoughby City Council also unanimously recognised the Republic of Artsakh and called on the government of Australia to recognise the Republic of Artsakh.
Both municipalities are home to thousands of Syndey-based Armenian-Australians with many direct descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide who have established vibrant Armenian community centres, schools and churches in the region.
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