Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) state minister Arayik Harutyunyan on Thursday, March 15 visited the parliament of New South Wales in Australia.

Artsakh's Representative to Australia, Kaylar Michaelian was also in attendance, and the meeting was chaired by Jonathan O'Dea MP - the Chair of the NSW Armenia-Australia Friendship Group, the Armenian National Committee of Australia says.

Harutyunyan thanked the Parliament of NSW for standing with the Armenians of the Republic of Artsakh by recognising their Independence and rights to self-determination. He also personally thanked O'Dea, Dr. Hugh McDermott MP: State Member for Prospect and Damien Tudehope MP for their speeches in Parliament earlier this month, commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Sumgait Massacres.

Harutyunyan also visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial Khatchkar within the Peace Garden of Parliament House, and paid his respects to the 1.5 million victims of the first genocide of the 20th century, which was recognised by the NSW Parliament in 1997, and reaffirmed in 2013.