Australian Parliament calls on Iraqi government to do more to guarantee rights of Chaldeans–Syriacs–Assyrians in Iraq
CANBERRA — Based on a request submitted by the Australian Assyrian National Council, Australian Federal Representative Christopher Eyles Guy Bowen, known for his positions in support of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people in Iraq, proposed expanded Australian support for Nineveh Plains in Iraq.
Bowen called on the Australian Parliament to recognize the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people as the oldest indigenous people of Iraq and to urge the Iraqi government to include such a declaration in its constitution.
Bowen’s proposal also called on Iraqi authorities to take all measures to protect the rights of minorities and allow for great political autonomy for Nineveh Governate which is home to Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrians, Yezidis, and Turkmen. Baghdad must ensure that the rights of minorities are guaranteed, and they are free to live in peace in their homeland.
The proposal also called on the Australian Parliament to pressure Turkey to halt its military operation in northern Iraq which has displaced thousands of vulnerable minorities.
The proposal was unanimously approved by Parliament in the presence of the Assyrian Australian National Council, the Federation of Assyrian Societies in Australia, the Mor Ziya Society, and the Assyrian Khabour Social Association.