The Labor's Greek-Australian Member for Adelaide is also the 2nd Vice President of World-Hellenic Interparliamentary Association (WHIA), which is controlled by the Hellenic Parliament.
One of his daily activities representing the people of Adelaide is to push resolutions, in line with WHIA's resolutions, through the Federal Parliament.
Georganas declared in his latest register of Members' interest dated August 2022 that he had received "2,800 Euro - contribution for return flights and 7 nights accommodation and hospitality from the World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association for the WHIA Board Meeting in Greece." In Greece, he holds many inherited assets including undeveloped land properties.
The WHIA's 2021 resolution states the following:
Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone
That the 2021 WHIA General Assembly: a) Calls on the government of the Republic of Turkey to immediately cease all exploration and other activity inside the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus; b) Further calls on the Turkish government to immediately recognize the EEZ of Cyprus; c) Calls on the international community, including the United Nations and the European Union to take action against Turkey, including the imposition of any sanctions or other restrictions, until the Turkish government recognizes the EEZ of Cyprus and commits to fully respecting the well-established international legal rights of the Republic of Cyprus within its EEZ.
The Cyprus Conflict
That the 2021 WHIA General Assembly:
a) Reject a two-state solution to the Cyprus problem and affirm its support for the creation of a single bizonal, bi-communal federarion, with a single nationality.
b) Calls upon the Turkish Government and the Turkish Cyrpriot authorities to immediate cancel plans to re-open Varosha and to cease all unproductive unilateral actions.
c) Reject Turkey’s accession to the European Union and further calls upon all EU member states to terminate formal accession negotiations with Turkey.
d) Calls upon all EU members states to reject Turkish participation, both formally and informally, in the Permanent Structured Cooperation Framework (PESCO).
e) Stand in solidarity with the people of Cyprus against Turkish aggression, provocation and unilateralism.
And below is the text of what Georganas gave as a Private Members' Business to the House in November 2022. We have highlighted matching texts in both documents.
MR GEORGANAS : To move—That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) 20 July 2022 marked the 48th anniversary of the illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the island’s continuing occupation; and
(b) there are tens of thousands of Australians of Cypriot descent, many of whom are still affected by the ongoing occupation of almost 37 per cent of the island;
(2) acknowledges that:
(a) Australia, as a signatory to the United Nations (UN) Law of the Sea Treaty, affirms its support for the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus and Greece in line with the treaty; and
(b) it could have negative consequences for Australia’s own exclusive economic zone if Turkish claims against the exclusive economic zones of Cyprus and Greece become precedent; and
(3) calls on the Parliament to:
(a) affirm its support for the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and oppose any attempt to recognise the so called ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ which is an illegal entity under international law;
(b) condemn the recent re-opening of Varosha in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions;
(c) express concern at the Turkish military build-up in the region, including the establishment of a drone airbase in occupied Cyprus; and
(d) continue to support the efforts of the UN and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to negotiate a peaceful and lasting solution to the Cyprus problem.
Several local associations in the seat of Adelaide told TVOA that they have asked the Prime Minister and senior members of the Labor Party whether Mr. Georganas was fit to represent their interests while busy carrying out Athens' foreign policy interests in Australia as a Vice President of a Greek Association "under the auspieces of the Hellenic Parliament."
Download Georganas' Register of Interest from below.
Link to WHIA page.
https://padeewhia.org/resolutions/
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