Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- OSCE MG Dissolved
- Libaridian on Submitting to Turkey and Azerbaijan
- News Constitution to be Drafted by March 2026
- Archbishops, Letters, Attacks on the Church
- Border Commissions Meet in Baku
- Comments from Jacob Pursley
Episode 493 | Recorded: December 2, 2025
Show Notes
Summary
In this Week in Review, we talk with Dr. Arthur Khachikyan about the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ankara and Baku’s new preconditions, the rush toward a new Armenian constitution, the deepening campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the opaque border talks in Baku. We also respond to Jacob Pursley’s comments on our earlier coverage of Armenia’s “prayer breakfast” and examine how this ties into Pashinyan’s image-building efforts abroad.
Main Topics Addressed
- OSCE Minsk Group dissolved on December 1
- Libaridian’s call for Armenia to accept defeat and engage neighbors directly
- Turkey’s demands, including constitutional changes and the so-called Zangezur Corridor
- Pashinyan’s plan to produce a new constitution by March 2026
- Crisis in the Armenian Church, leaked videos, and the revolt of 13 archbishops
- Statements from prison by Archbishops Ajapahyan and Galstanyan
- Border Commissions meeting in Baku with no transparency
- Responding to Jacob Pursley’s comments on Episode 490
Key Questions Discussed
- What does the dissolution of the Minsk Group mean for Artsakh’s cause internationally?
- How should Armenians approach Libaridian’s insinuation that Russia is a “distant power,” even as he promotes reliance on Western states that are farther away, but who will shape policy toward Armenia through Turkey?
- Why is the government rushing to draft a new constitution by March 2026?
- What lies behind the sudden internal revolt within the Armenian Church?
- Who benefits from the leaked Archbishop Arshak videos?
- Why are border negotiations happening without maps and without public oversight?
- How does the government’s outreach to Western Christian groups fit with its crackdown on the Church?
Referenced Articles & Sources
Hakan Fidan interview on Armenia–Turkey normalization
https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33595842.htmlEducation is Fashionable – My Step / Anna Hakobyan initiative
https://mycharity.am/educationisfashionablePrevious Groong Episode 493 (linked in outline header)
https://podcasts.groong.org/493Previous Groong Episode 490 with Joel Veldkamp (Prayer Breakfast context)
https://podcasts.groong.org/490
A response to @jacobpursley1800
We address a comment from a user “@jacobpursley1800”, responding to our Episode 490 with Joel Veldkamp, of the Christian Solidarity International, about Armenia’s national prayer breakfast.
Comment screenshot:
Pursley says the event was not organized by the Armenian government, the Prime Minister did not host it, and that our take was not “fact based.”
While the main topic of our show was the persecution of the Armenian Apostolic Church and its clergy, which the commenter completely sidestepped, we would like to address the matter of whether this event was truly organized by an independent “civil society” without any help from the government.
- Who was the prayer breakfast organized by?
There were other co-organizers, but the main coordinator of the event is Stepan Sargsyan from the “Individual Believers Club” as the commenter also indicates.
- Who is Stepan Sargsyan?
Stepan Sargsyan is listed as a “member of the central committee of the ‘Education is Fashionable’ movement and project manager”.
- Education is Fashionable is a program under the aegis of My Step Foundation which is an ‘NGO’ founded by Nikol Pashinyan’s partner, Anna Hakobyan and affiliated with Civil Contract.
- Chair of the Board of Trustees is Lena Nazaryan, a member of the Civil Contract party.
- Executive Director is Anna Hakobyan, Nikol Pashinyan’s partner.
- According to media, Education is Fashionable is also funded by the state budget and the amount of funding is concealed as a ‘state secret’
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
Arthur Khachikyan
Dr. Arthur Khachikyan, an International Relations expert from Stanford University, specializing in intervention.
Hosts
Asbed Bedrossian
Asbed Bedrossian is an IT professional, and for years oversaw the central IT enterprise infrastructure and services at USC. His decades of experience spanned across IT strategy, enterprise architecture, infrastructure, cybersecurity, enterprise applications, data center operations, high performance computing, ITSM, ITPM, and more.
Asbed founded the Armenian News Network Groong circa 1989/1990, and co-founded the ANN/Groong podcast in 2020.
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.