Episode 451 | Recorded: June 30, 2025
In this Week in Review, former ambassador Dziunik Aghajanian joins the show to unpack a week of escalating tensions across Armenia’s borders and within. The discussion covers the aftermath of Israel’s war on Iran, claims that Azerbaijan facilitated Israeli strikes, and a sudden fallout between Baku and Moscow after raids and retaliatory actions. Domestically, the Pashinyan government’s crackdown on the Armenian Church deepens, even as Emmanuel Macron offers public support. The episode also examines Kaja Kallas’ visit to Armenia and new EU-Armenia defense consultations, as well as Iran’s support for the OIC’s pro-Azerbaijani Istanbul Declaration.
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.
Ms. Dziunik Aghajanian has served Armenia through the ranks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and most recently as a diplomat, as Armenia’s Ambassador to such countries as the Netherlands, Malaysia, and Indonesia. She received her education at Yerevan State University, Columbia University in NY, and Uppsala University in Sweden.
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.
Asbed is founder of the Armenian News Network Groong and co-founder of the ANN/Groong podcast.