Armenia at 35: Independence, Loss, and Unfinished Wars | Ep 588, Sep 20, 2026 [EP588]
Posted on Wednesday, Sep 23, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics | Series: wir, video
Groong Links:
Topics:
- Armenia marks 35 years independent
- Artsakh remembered three years later
- Armenian POWs remain in Baku
- Ukraine strikes deep inside Russia
- Turkey-Azerbaijan deepen strategic coordination
- Citizenship costs rise sharply
- Government opacity over war casualties
Episode 588 | Recorded: September 22, 2026
#Armenia #Artsakh #UkraineWar #ArmenianPOWs #Azerbaijan #Turkey #SouthCaucasus #ArmenianPolitics
Show Notes
Summary
In this week’s Groong podcast episode, Hovik and Asbed reflect on Armenia’s 35th independence anniversary amid ongoing regional tensions and unresolved conflicts. We discuss the state of Armenian statehood three years after the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, Armenian prisoners of war still held in Baku, rising citizenship costs, government opacity over war casualties, and deepening Turkey-Azerbaijan strategic coordination.Topics This Week
- Armenia marks 35 years of independence
- Remembering Artsakh and September 2023
- Preserving Artsakh culture and memory
- Russian elections and Ukraine war escalation
- Hakan Fidan visits Baku
- Turkey-Azerbaijan-Pakistan regional cooperation
- TRIPP and regional transport corridors
- Higher Armenian citizenship fees
- Armenia-Iran simplified customs corridor
- Goris and Meghri municipal politics
- Arush Arushanyan and Civil Contract
- Transparency over Armenian war casualties
Key Questions Discussed
- What does Armenia’s 35th Independence Day mean after the losses and upheavals of recent years?
- How should Armenians remember the political and legal history of Artsakh ?
- How can Artsakh’s culture, language, and historical memory be preserved after the displacement of its Armenian population?
- What could Russia’s elections mean for the Ukraine war and future negotiations?
- What was the significance of Ukrainian drone attacks during the Russian election period?
- How does European support for Ukraine affect the course of the war?
- What does Hakan Fidan’s Baku visit show about Turkey-Azerbaijan strategic coordination?
- How important is the Turkey-Azerbaijan-Pakistan relationship for Armenia’s security environment?
- How do TRIPP and other Eurasian corridors affect Russian and Turkish interests in the South Caucasus ?
- What is the purpose and likely effect of higher Armenian citizenship and citizenship-renunciation fees?
- What could the Armenia-Iran simplified customs corridor mean for bilateral trade?
- What do developments in Goris and Meghri suggest about Armenia’s municipal political environment?
- Why does the government still face questions over the public accounting of Armenian military deaths from 2020 through 2023?
Thoughts from Participants
Hovik Manucharyan
Hovik reflects on Independence Day as both a source of pride and a reminder of what Armenia has lost. He argues that Armenian historical memory and national identity are under pressure and stresses the need to preserve the history and culture of Artsakh. On regional politics, he sees the Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance as a central strategic reality for Armenia and raises concerns about Armenia’s changing relations with Russia. He also questions government transparency surrounding war casualties and recent developments in municipal politics.
Asbed Bedrossian
Asbed recalls being in Armenia shortly before the September 1991 independence referendum and reflects on the political atmosphere surrounding the collapse of the Soviet Union. He discusses the legal and political history of the Artsakh independence process and stresses the importance of remembering Artsakh’s military and civilian experience. He also examines the Ukraine war, Turkey’s regional partnerships, Russian interests in South Caucasus transport routes, and domestic political developments in Armenia.
Referenced Articles & Sources
Digital House of Artsakh Culture https://artsakhian.org
Groong Ukraine War coverage https://new.groong.org/topics/ukraine-war/
Ukraine War reference https://substack.com/home/post/p-216654314
Ukraine War reference https://substack.com/home/post/p-216407822
Armenia and Iran sign protocol on simplified customs procedures Armenpress Armenia-Iran simplified customs corridor
Civil Contract alliance with Arush Arushanyan’s party in Goris Armenpress Goris municipal election alliance
Meghri mayor Khachatur Andreasyan arrested in bribery investigation Armenpress Meghri mayor investigation
Investigative Committee releases 2020 war casualty figures Armenpress 2020 war dead and missing figures
Armenian government raises citizenship application fees Armenpress Citizenship application fee changes
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.
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.
