May 28, Rubio’s Armenia Deals, and the Cost of Strategic Drift | Ep 553, May 31, 2026 [EP553]
Scheduled for Tuesday, Jun 2, 2026 | Series: wir
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Guest(s):
Topics:
- TBD
Episode 553 | Recorded: June 1, 2026
#Armenia #May28 #MarcoRubio #TRIPP #Syunik #CriticalMinerals #ElectionFraud #RussiaArmenia
Show Notes
Summary
In this episode of Groong's Week in Review, hosts Hovik and Asbed examine Armenia's May 28 Independence Day parade as campaign theater, Marco Rubio's push for critical minerals deals, and the strategic risks of TRIPP in Syunik. We discuss how Pashinyan's military parade coincides with Armenian prisoners of war held hostage in Baku, the questionable financing of weapons through $8 billion in external debt, and the broader geopolitical pressures from Russia and Iran as Armenia heads into the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election.Wrap-up
Links and Resources
That’s our show, 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
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, 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.
