Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Trump, Aliyev, Pashinyan Meeting
- Iranian Reaction
- Russian Reaction
Episode 459 | Recorded: August 11, 2025
Show Notes
Summary
This Week in Review examines the August 8, 2025 White House meeting between Donald Trump, Nikol Pashinyan, and Ilham Aliyev. Ambassador Dziunik Aghajanian joins to discuss the geopolitical fallout from the initialed but yet-unsigned “peace agreement,” the 99-year Trump Corridor lease through Armenia, and the scrapping of Section 907. The conversation covers the agreement’s omissions, Iran’s mixed but wary reaction, Russia’s cautious stance, and the broader strategic implications for Armenia’s sovereignty and security.
Main Topics Addressed
- White House meeting between Trump, Pashinyan, and Aliyev: terms, optics, and omissions
- U.S. strategic goals behind the Trump Corridor and Section 907 repeal
- Azerbaijan’s gains vs. Armenia’s losses from the deal
- Iran’s mixed reaction and concerns over U.S. corporate involvement
- Russia’s muted response and possible OSCE Minsk Group veto dynamics
Key Questions Discussed
- Is the agreement a genuine peace treaty or a setup for renewed conflict?
- What does Armenia gain, if anything, from this arrangement?
- How does the 99-year Trump Corridor lease affect Armenia’s sovereignty?
- Could the agreement’s language be used to suppress Armenian political opposition?
- What are the U.S. motives, and how does this tie into wider regional conflicts?
- How might Iran and Russia respond in the medium and long term?
Referenced Articles & Sources
- Text of the initialed Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Agreement
- Trump, Aliyev, Pashinyan Hold Washington Meeting, Initial Peace Deal
- U.S. Set To Gain ‘Exclusive Rights’ To Corridor Through Armenia
- Iran will block U.S. corridor in Caucasus – Velayati
- X/Twitter – DD Geopolitics post
Thoughts from the Participants
- Hovik: Imagine if the Armenian Apostolic Church were the Vatinan, where would the global outrage be if the Vatican were targeted the way the Armenian Church is being targeted?
- Dziunik: The Karabakh movement was rooted in self-determination and self-defense after pogroms in Azerbaijan, fully legal under Soviet law.
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
Dziunik Aghajanian
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.
Hosts
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.
Asbed Bedrossian
Asbed Bedrossian is an IT professional with extensive experience in enterprise IT infrastructure, IT security, enterprise applications, data center operations, high performance computing, ITSM, ITPM, and more.
Asbed is founder of the Armenian News Network Groong (ca. 1989/1990) and co-founder of the ANN/Groong podcast in 2020.