ANN/Groong — The English-Language Armenian Podcast

Armenian News Network/Groong is a volunteer-driven Armenian podcast and digital news extension offering objective, English-language coverage of Armenia, Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), the Armenian diaspora, politics, culture, and regional affairs.

Find our social media and listening links at linktr.ee/groong .

Asbed Bedrossian

Asbed Bedrossian

Hovik Manucharyan

Hovik Manucharyan

Latest Videos

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Latest Episode

Vache Gabrielyan - Is the Growth Model Running Out of Steam? | Ep 596, Oct 25, 2026

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • Armenia’s 2026 economic performance and structural imbalances
  • Construction boom and housing market risks
  • Consumer credit growth and weak industrial productivity
  • Systemic failures in government budget execution
  • Armenia’s 2027 budget priorities and fiscal risks
  • Rising public debt and debt servicing costs
  • Defense spending and competing budget priorities
  • High-tech investments, AI, and economic sustainability

Episode 596 | Recorded: October 23, 2026

#ArmenianEconomy #EconomicGrowth #Armenia2026

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Topics:

  • Pashinyan’s territorial swap proposal with Azerbaijan
  • COP17 controversies and environmental double standards
  • UN inaction on Armenian POWs
  • Inadequate housing aid for Artsakh refugees
  • Municipal elections and alleged government pressure
  • Gyumri’s growing role as an opposition stronghold

Episode 595 | Recorded: October 21, 2026

#Armenia #Azerbaijan #Pashinyan #TerritorialSwap #COP17 #ArmenianPOWs #ArtsakhRefugees #Gyumri

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • Azeri Soldier Infiltration and Shaki Shooting
  • Government Accountability and Border Security Failures
  • Russian Railways and Armenia’s Strategic Options
  • Nuclear Power: Russian Reactors vs. Western SMRs
  • TRIPP and Armenia’s Geopolitical Balancing Act
  • COP17, Environmental Destruction, and Appeasing Azerbaijan

Episode 594 | Recorded: October 16, 2026

#ArmenianElections #Armenia #NikolPashinyan #CivilContract #StrongArmenia #ArmenianOpposition

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Topics:

  • Pashinyan’s Nuclear Policy U-Turn
  • Azerbaijani Infiltration Into Shaki
  • Karapetyan To Unite The Opposition?
  • COP17 Spending Corruption
  • Pashinyan’s Broken Environmental Promises

Episode 593 | Recorded: October 13, 2026

#Armenia #Pashinyan #NuclearEnergy #Azerbaijan #NationalSecurity #SamvelKarapetyan #Corruption #Amulsar

  • EP591: Hovik and Asbed mark the sixth anniversary of the 44-Day War while examining Armenia’s deepening crisis over historical memory, escalating tensions between the state and the Armenian Church, international concern over election integrity, and Armenia’s isolated position as Azerbaijan demolishes Artsakh’s Armenian cultural heritage.
  • EP592: Harut Sassounian examines Armenia’s identity crisis amid escalating conflict between Pashinyan’s government and the Armenian Apostolic Church, discussing Catholicos Garegin II’s statements at the May 2025 World Council of Churches conference in Bern, state attacks on senior clergy, the constitutional role of the Church in national identity, and Armenia-Diaspora relations following the June 2026 parliamentary elections.

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • Church-State conflict and Garegin II
  • Bern, Artsakh, and national identity
  • Government plans to “reform” Church
  • Pashinyan’s meeting with All-ASA
  • Armenia-Diaspora relations after June 7

Episode 592 | Recorded: September 30, 2026

#Armenia #ArmenianChurch #GareginII #NikolPashinyan #Artsakh #ArmenianDiaspora #ChurchState #ArmenianIdentity

Topics:

  • September 27 war anniversary and memory
  • Pashinyan escalates campaign against Church
  • PACE raises concerns over elections
  • Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan at UNGA
  • Witkoff reveals Turkish regional advisers
  • Opposition faces post-election divisions
  • Arrests and prosecutions over speech
  • France and Azerbaijan move toward normalization

Episode 591 | Recorded: September 27, 2026

  • EP588: Hovik and Asbed reflect on Armenia’s 35th independence anniversary amid the aftermath of Artsakh’s ethnic cleansing, Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku, rising citizenship costs, government opacity over war casualties, and deepening Turkey-Azerbaijan strategic coordination.
  • EP589: Arthur Khachatryan, MP from Armenia Alliance, discusses opposition strategy after the June 2026 election, territorial concessions including Tigranashen, Azerbaijani attacks on Armenian heritage, TRIPP and Azerbaijan’s control over transit corridors, the future of Russia’s 102nd military base, and escalating threats against opposition parties.
  • EP590: Dziunik Aghajanian examines Russia’s September 2026 parliamentary elections, the Armenia-Russia confrontation over the 102nd base, asset confiscation targeting Russian interests, and how Middle East escalation reshapes Armenia’s strategic environment.

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • Russian parliamentary election outcome
  • Middle East escalation and the Houthis
  • Armenia-Russia confrontation, including the 102nd base
  • Asset confiscation, anti-corruption, and Russian interests
  • Azerbaijan-Armenia “durable peace” tensions
  • Armenian opposition strategy

Episode 590 | Recorded: September 23, 2026

#Armenia #Russia #SouthCaucasus #Azerbaijan #MiddleEast #UkraineWar #ArmenianPolitics #Geopolitics

Guest(s):

Topics:

  • Reflections on Independence Day
  • Post-election opposition strategy
  • Tigranashen and other territorial concessions
  • Azerbaijani attacks on Armenian heritage
  • Azerbaijani control over TRIPP access
  • Future of Russia’s 102nd base
  • Asset confiscation and Russia tensions
  • Attacks and threats against the ARF

Episode 589 | Recorded: September 22, 2026

#Armenia #ArthurKhachatryan #ArmeniaAlliance #TRIPP #Tigranashen #Artsakh #SouthCaucasus #ArmenianPolitics

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