Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Israel and Iran
- Crackdown on the Opposition
- Pashinyan in Istanbul
- The Kitchen Sink
Episode 449 | Recorded: June 25, 2025
Show Notes
🎙️ Main Topics Addressed
- Israel and the U.S. launch a 12-day war on Iran, triggering global and regional fallout.
- Armenia’s geopolitical silence and exposure to refugee flows and instability.
- Pashinyan’s cultural war against the Church, with mounting verbal attacks.
- Pashinyan’s June 13 visit to Istanbul and quiet meeting with Erdogan and Aliyev.
- OIC’s “Istanbul Declaration” includes sharp anti-Armenian language.
- Turkish-Azeri military drills in Nakhichevan amid regional war.
- PERSONTAL THOUGHTS FROM THE PARTICIPANTS
- Hovik: Shout out to Brian Berletic for excellent geopolitical coverage
- Sergei: Israel-Iran war was an important test for South Caucasus and Armenia
- THE KITCHEN SINK
- Crackdown on opposition figures tied to the ARF and the Srbazan Movement.
- Arrest of billionaire Samvel Karapetyan after defending the Armenian Church
- Gunfire Continues At Armenian Border Towns
- Dismissal of NSS chief Armen Abazyan amid rising pressure on security institutions.
- Lawsuit filed by Armine Fanyan accusing Pashinyan of inciting hatred.
- Anna Hakobyan’s “Education is Trendy” campaign shielded as a state secret.
❓ Key Questions Discussed
- Is the Iran ceasefire stable, or just a pause before more covert action?
- How exposed is Armenia to fallout from the Iran-Israel conflict?
- Why does public support for Netanyahu persist despite mounting costs?
- Is Pashinyan using internal cultural fights to distract from real crises?
- What does Karapetyan’s arrest reveal about the state of dissent?
- Why has Armenia gone through six NSS chiefs in six years?
- Is Pashinyan replacing Russian-trained officials with NATO-aligned ones?
- How credible are the terrorism claims against Bagrat Srbazan?
- What influence did the Istanbul meeting have on the OIC declaration?
- Why is Anna Hakobyan’s program budget considered classified?
Wrap-up
Links and Resources
That’s our Week in Review, we hope you found it helpful. We invite your feedback and your suggestions, you can find us on most social media and podcast platforms.
Thanks to Laura Osborn for the music on our podcasts.
Guests
Sergei Melkonian
Dr. Sergei Melkonian is an Academic Director at the Armenian Research Foundation. He served as assistant to President of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, on Russia and Middle East politics. Sergei is currently a Research Fellow at APRI Armenia and the Institute of Oriental Studies, and also Assistant Professor at Yerevan State University and the Russian-Armenian University. He is a co-founder of the Armenian Project NGO.
Hosts
Asbed Bedrossian
Asbed is founder of the Armenian News Network Groong and co-founder of the ANN/Groong podcast.
Hovik Manucharyan
Hovik Manucharyan is an information security engineer who moved from Seattle to Armenia in 2022. He co-founded the ANN/Groong podcast in 2020 and has been a contributor to Groong News since the late 1990s.
Disclaimer: The views expressed by Hovik Manucharyan on the ANN/Groong podcast are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of his employer or any other organization.