South Australia became the second state in Australia to recognise the rights to self-determination of the Republic of Artsakh, condemning Azerbaijan and Turkey for their invasion of the country's indigenous Armenians in a motion passed with a vote in the House of Assembly, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia.
The motion follows one passed by the New South Wales Parliament's Legislative Assembly in October 2020, and similarly "calls on the Federal Government to also recognise the Republic of Artsakh as the only permanent solution to the conflict to avoid further attempts of such military aggression".
Member for West Torrens, the Hon. Tom Koutsantonis MP moved the historic motion, which also called out "the actions of President Erdogan of Turkey and President Aliyev of Azerbaijan in their pursuit of a policy of Pan-Turkish nationalism, which has previously led to genocide and which now threatens the Armenian population of Artsakh with ethnic cleansing".
The House of Assembly considered a proposal to "adjourn the debate", however this was defeated by the casting vote of the Speaker. The debate resumed and resulted in a vote – without dissent – in favour of the motion. Armenian community of Australia put significant efforts in this move and recognition.
