SYDNEY: The NSW Legislative Council has adopted a motion tabled by the Hon. Aileen MacDonald MLC, on 17 September 2025, which called for the release of Armenian Hostages, the protection of Armenian heritage sites in occupied Artsakh and a right of return for Artsakh refugees, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia.
MacDonald, a member of the NSW Liberal Party, tabled the motion to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2020 Artsakh War and the second anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s indigenous Armenian population. The motion was agreed to during the giving of Notices of Motions.
The motion follows a series of meetings held in August 2025 between ANC-AU Political Affairs Director Sebastian Majarian, and NSW Parliamentarians, aimed at informing and educating lawmakers about the ongoing humanitarian crisis confronting the people of Artsakh.
During these discussions, the Hon. MacDonald signed on to the ANC-AU’s Australian Friends of Artsakh (FOA) Network, which recently surpassed 125 members. Read more about that
here.
The motion coincided with two similar motions that were tabled, and unanimously adopted in the South Australian Parliament on the same day — by the Hon. Connie Bonaros MLC in the Legislative Council and the Hon. Tom Koutsantonis MP in the House of Assembly — reflecting growing national parliamentary support for the people of Artsakh. Read more
here.
The full motion read:
(1) That this House acknowledges that September to November 2025 marks the fifth anniversary of the 2020 Artsakh (Nagorno?Karabakh) war of aggression by Azerbaijan and reaffirms the New South Wales Parliament's recognition of the right to self?determination of the Republic of Artsakh.(2) That this House recognises that 19 September 2025 marks two years since the forced displacement of over 100,000 Armenians from the Republic of Artsakh following a 10-month blockade by Azerbaijan that deprived the population of food, energy, medical supplies and humanitarian aid.(3) That this House urges the immediate release of 23 Armenian detainees, including former leaders of the Republic of Artsakh, who remain unlawfully held by the Azerbaijani authorities in violation of international law.(4) That this House calls on Azerbaijan to comply with the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice on 17 November 2023, including the right of return for all Armenians forcibly displaced from Artsakh, under binding international guarantees for their safety and rights.(5) That this House condemns the ongoing destruction of Armenian Christian and cultural heritage in Artsakh and urges Azerbaijan to take transparent and credible measures to preserve and protect all ancient Armenian historical and cultural sites.(6) That this House further calls on Azerbaijan to immediately withdraw its military forces from the internationally recognised territory of the Republic of Armenia and to respect Armenia's sovereign borders.ANC-AU Political Affairs Director, Mr Sebastian Majarian, welcomed the motion, stating: “We thank the Hon. Aileen MacDonald for her vocal support of the people of Artsakh and our community. Motions like this are a valuable symbol that demonstrate to the Federal Government that Australians expect stronger support for Artsakh and Armenia.”
“We are looking forward to continuing our work with NSW Parliamentarians to fight for the rights and self-determination of the people of Artsakh,” he continued.
