MELBOURNE: Eden Foster MP - Member for Mulgrave has risen in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, becoming the first Labor parliamentarian in 18 years to deliver a pro-Armenia statement, demanding the release of all Armenian hostages in Azerbaijan since the 2020 Artsakh war, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).
Foster delivered the Members Statement on Tuesday, 9 December 2025, after attending the ANC-AU Melbourne Gala on 30 November 2025 and having met with the organisation’s 2025 Advocacy Week Guest, Ms Siranush Sahakyan.
Foster, who represents one of the highest concentrations of Armenian voters in Victoria, commenced the address by congratulating the peak public affairs body of the Armenian-Australian community for 50 years of service and advocacy in Victoria and across the country.
In her statement, the Labor Party member went on to discuss the advocacy of the keynote guest of the event, Siranush Sahakyan, a human rights lawyer located in Armenia, leading over 600 cases against the Azerbaijani government at the European Court of Human Rights and representing Armenian Hostages imprisoned by Azerbaijan.
Foster went on to call for the release of Armenian Hostages and said: “Here in Australia, many have called for the immediate release of the 23 Armenian hostages who remain in captivity.”
“Former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans has called for their release, as well as the Labor governments in New South Wales and South Australia. I join my Labor colleagues across the country in echoing such sentiments and urge Azerbaijan to immediately release all Armenian hostages.”
The 90-second members statement echoed concerns shared by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, in particular the extreme levels of torture and mistreatment hostages face in Azerbaijan and the expulsion of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from Azerbaijan, an impartial body which previously monitored the safety of the hostages.
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here. Armenian National Committee of Australia Executive Director, Mr Michael Kolokossian, said: “Siranush Sahakyan’s presence and advocacy in Australia has clearly resonated with elected officials, including Ms Foster, who has become the first Victorian Labor MP in 18 years to deliver a parliamentary statement in support of Armenian issues. Foster is a true champion, and her voice reflects a growing resolve in Victoria to stand on the right side of history.”
“Our community is deeply grateful to leaders such as Ms Foster for raising the issues that matter to us on the floor of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. In doing so, she demonstrates the moral courage and resolve that the Armenian hostages unjustly detained in Azerbaijan so profoundly deserve.”
