Australia's Assyrian community has accused the Turkish government of attempting to blackmail the federal government over a controversial World War I monument in Sydney.
The monument, erected by Assyrian community leaders in August to commemorate the death of about 750,000 Assyrians, refers to the alleged killings by Ottoman troops as "genocide".
Its erection at Bonnyrigg in south-west Sydney has angered Turkey and could jeopardise a major survey of the Gallipoli battlefields involving Australia and New Zealand.
Turkey's ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Oguz Ozge, said the sculpture was concerning to the Turkish government.
"As long as remedial action is not taken we intend to do something on the part of the Turkish government," he told Radio New Zealand earlier this week.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been seeking discussions with the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resolve delays in visas for Australian archaeologists travelling to Turkey.
Assyrian Universal Alliance deputy secretary-general Hermiz Shahen told AAP the Assyrian community was shocked at the Turkish government's reaction.
"This is an attempt by the Turkish government to blackmail the Australian government to hide the crime of genocide against Assyrians," he said on Friday.
"I don't think they have any grounds to put pressure on the Australian government ... we should never be intimidated by foreign nationals."
Archaeologists from Turkey, New Zealand and Australia are next week due to begin mapping the Gallipoli peninsula, the scene of a bloody World War I offensive seen as a key moment in Australian and New Zealand history.
The surveying exercise aimed to provide a detailed archaeological map of the battlefields, where 11,500 Australian and New Zealand troops died in an offensive aimed at wresting the Dardanelles Strait from the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of modern Turkey.
A final decision to suspend the Gallipoli survey had not yet been taken, but Ozge said it "could be, until we find a way out".
"We hope to see the Australian government do something about (the monument)" he said.
"We are in touch with the Australian authorities ... it is our intention to find a way out which would be satisfactory to us all."
Mr Shahen said the monument had been unanimously approved by Fairfield City Council and was an important reminder of "one of the worst genocides in history".
"We cannot sit here and forget everything," he said.
"But the Turkish government will never apologise or commit to an apology."
Vandals have attacked the monument, spray-painting it with the words, "Assyrian dogs", and the Turkish flag.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald [October 01, 2010]