The Federal Member for Bennelong, John Alexander OAM, MP, has delivered a powerful speech on the Armenian community in Parliament.

During this statement, Alexander praised the life of Mr. Jacques Baran, an Armenian-Australian who was awarded City of Ryde Citizen of the Year in recognition of his years of service to the Bennelong community. In recounting the life of Mr. Baran, Alexander recounted the impact that the Armenian Genocide had on Mr. Baran, ANC Australia reported.

He said: “The acts of Genocide committed against the Armenian people in the early 20th century caused them to scatter across the globe, creating many obstacles in the perpetuation of their unique culture."

ANC Australia Executive Director, Vache Kahramanian praised the comments and thanked Alexander for again raising this important issue.

“It is a sad reality that Armenian’s fled their ancestral homelands due to the genocide. Mr. Baran’s story is all too common amongst our community. Mr. Alexander has been a strong advocate on all issues of importance to the Armenian-Australian community and we thank him for his ongoing support," Kahramanian said.

ANC Australia extends its warm wishes and congratulations to Mr. Jacques Baran for his achievements.