Russia has given Armenia until December 2026 to hold a referendum on EU membership or face suspension from the Eurasian Economic Union and potential sanctions.
Campbell breaks down the realistic power generation mix (solar, natural gas, and nuclear alternatives) needed to sustain frontier AI data centers, with timelines and cost considerations.
Campbell argues that Armenia’s real advantage from Firebird lies not in direct compute access but in the startup ecosystem, workforce development, and diaspora reconnection it catalyzes.
Campbell advises Armenia to treat Firebird as a human-capital investment, not merely a data center project, focusing on workforce development and talent retention.
Asbed and Hovik discuss Armenia’s impossible balancing act between EAEU membership and EU integration, and the economic and political consequences of Pashinyan’s refusal to choose.
Hrant Mikaelian ridicules the scale of EU financial aid, pointing out Armenia faces €520 million in economic losses from Russian restrictions while receiving only €52 million in EU support.
Hrant Mikaelian rejects claims of economic diversification via market substitution, arguing Armenia must first reshape what it produces before attempting to export to new markets.
Asbed Bedrossian warns that Pashinyan plans to finance the railway buyout through new European loans, burdening future generations of Armenians with debt repayment.
Hovik reveals that Pashinyan’s sudden claims of Russian railway mismanagement appeared only after unnamed Western countries pressured him to remove Russian control, signaling geopolitical rather than operational motives.
Hovik explains why Pashinyan’s proposed Gyumri-Kars railway through Nakhijevan is a fiction: Turkey already has a multi-billion-dollar direct line, and Aliyev has made clear no northern Armenian route exists.
Christine Arakelian argues that the $400 million allocated to TRIPP is grossly insufficient compared to similar corridor projects, casting doubt on US commitment to Armenia’s western pivot.
Hovik and Asbed dissect a new regulation allowing foreigners to electronically purchase Armenian apartments with no visit required, while most Armenians cannot afford housing and government property developers are Civil Contract cronies.
Hovik explains the strategic pressure Russia is placing on Armenia through trade restrictions, including a dairy embargo, as Pashinyan is forced to call Putin to negotiate while Armenia seeks alternative energy sources from Iran.
Konstantin Sokolov, a Trump megadonor, was appointed to lead TRIPP+, a U.S. fund managing $200 million in South Caucasus investments, the same week he acquired Armenia’s second-largest copper mine. The hosts examine the conflict of interest.
Suslov argues the EU cannot replace Russia as Armenia’s economic partner due to protectionism, geography, and the failure of similar EU integration models in Georgia and Ukraine.
Asbed reveals that remittances from Armenians working in Russia, totaling $3-4 billion annually, are the hidden pillar keeping Armenia’s currency and economy stable.
Russia’s embargo on Armenian agricultural exports will devastate the economy by late summer, forcing farmers into poverty and threatening Armenia’s food security and agricultural planning.
Hrant Mikaelian analyzes why the EU’s 50 million euro credit line cannot realistically replace the Russian market for Armenian agricultural exports, and how logistics costs make European market access illusory.
Asbed and Hovik expose the mechanics of Civil Contract’s pre-election spending spree: a billion dollars in unfunded pension and healthcare benefits promised to voters, now recovered through excise taxes on fuel and cigarettes.
Episode 544 | Recorded: May 9, 2026
#AnnaGrigoryan #Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #ArmeniaElections #HayastanDashinq #EPCSummit #TRIPP #Artsakh
Episode 544 | Recorded: May 9, 2026
#AnnaGrigoryan #Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #ArmeniaElections #HayastanDashinq #EPCSummit #TRIPP #Artsakh
Anna Grigoryan of Hayastan Dashinq (Armenia Alliance) joins Groong to discuss Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary election and the start of the official campaign. The conversation examines the EPC and Armenia-EU summits in Yerevan, EU political and financial support for Pashinyan, Aliyev’s remote demarche, and opposition protests around Artsakh rights, Armenian prisoners, and democratic backsliding. The episode also covers opposition coalition math, Hayastan Dashinq’s 8% bloc threshold, Strong Armenia’s lead among opposition forces, possible post-election governing formulas, Read More
Episode 534 | Recorded: April 21, 2026
Episode 534 | Recorded: April 21, 2026
In this episode of the Groong podcast, we speak with Dr. Dmitry Suslov about the shifting geopolitical landscape across the Iran war, the Ukraine conflict, and the South Caucasus. We examine the fragile state of the Iran war and its impact on global trade and regional escalation, Russia’s strategic positioning, and the potential for a broader conflict involving Azerbaijan and Turkey. The discussion then turns to the Ukraine war, focusing on attrition, Europe’s growing militarization, and the prospects for a long-term Russia–Europe confrontation. Finally, we explore Russia’s policy in the South Read More
Episode 533 | Recorded: April 21, 2026
Episode 533 | Recorded: April 21, 2026
Prof. Warwick Powell discusses his thermoeconomic view of world politics, where energy, money, and information form a single system. We connect the war on Iran to declining U.S. energy efficiency, the limits of airpower, de-dollarization, and the rise of alternative financial and information architectures. We also bring the conversation back to Armenia, asking what TRIPP, SMRs, and large AI data centers could mean for a small state trying to protect its energy and information sovereignty. We close by reflecting on considerations for Armenia in implementing centralized data infrastructure, more Read More
Episode 527 | Recorded: March 23, 2026
#Groong #Armenia
Episode 527 | Recorded: March 23, 2026
#Groong #Armenia
Episode 525 | Recorded: March 20, 2026
#GroongPodcast #EldarMamedov #IranWar #Azerbaijan #SouthCaucasus
Episode 525 | Recorded: March 20, 2026
#GroongPodcast #EldarMamedov #IranWar #Azerbaijan #SouthCaucasus
Episode 524 | Recorded: March 19, 2026
#IranWar #VaruzhanGeghamyan #ZangezurCorridor #Syunik #ArmeniaGeopolitics
Episode 524 | Recorded: March 19, 2026
#IranWar #VaruzhanGeghamyan #ZangezurCorridor #Syunik #ArmeniaGeopolitics
Episode 516 | Recorded: February 9, 2026
Episode 516 | Recorded: February 9, 2026
Episode 515 | Recorded: February 6, 2026
Episode 515 | Recorded: February 6, 2026
Episode 514 | Recorded: February 4, 2026
#CancelingRussia #RussianForeignPolicy #UkraineWar #StateCivilization #TowersOfTheKremlin #RussianOrthodoxChurch
Episode 514 | Recorded: February 4, 2026
#CancelingRussia #RussianForeignPolicy #UkraineWar #StateCivilization #TowersOfTheKremlin #RussianOrthodoxChurch
Episode 510 | Recorded: Jnauary 27, 2026
Episode 510 | Recorded: Jnauary 27, 2026
Episode 508 | Recorded: January 19, 2026
#ArmenianNews #Syria #Iran #ZangezurCorridor #TRIPP #Geopolitics
Episode 508 | Recorded: January 19, 2026
#ArmenianNews #Syria #Iran #ZangezurCorridor #TRIPP #Geopolitics
Episode 507 | Recorded: January 16, 2026
#AnnaGrigoryan #Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #TRIPP #ArmenianChurch #POWs
Episode 507 | Recorded: January 16, 2026
#AnnaGrigoryan #Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #TRIPP #ArmenianChurch #POWs
Episode 505 | Recorded: January 13, 2026
Episode 505 | Recorded: January 13, 2026
Episode 501 | Recorded: January 6, 2026
#VenezuelaCrisis #ArmenianChurch #MPGPoll #ArmeniaEconomy #Geopolitics
Episode 501 | Recorded: January 6, 2026
#VenezuelaCrisis #ArmenianChurch #MPGPoll #ArmeniaEconomy #Geopolitics
Episode 500 | Recorded: December 31, 2025
Episode 500 | Recorded: December 31, 2025
Episode 498 | Recorded: December 23, 2025
#ArmenianChurch #Etchmiadzin #TRIPP #ArmeniaPolitics #Groong
Episode 498 | Recorded: December 23, 2025
#ArmenianChurch #Etchmiadzin #TRIPP #ArmeniaPolitics #Groong
Episode 496 | Recorded: December 15, 2025
#ArmeniaPolitics #EUvsRussia #ArmenianChurch #Artsakh #Geopolitics
Episode 496 | Recorded: December 15, 2025
#ArmeniaPolitics #EUvsRussia #ArmenianChurch #Artsakh #Geopolitics
Episode 495 | Recorded: December 11, 2025
#Venezuela #OilPolitics #Geopolitics #USForeignPolicy #EnergyWars
Episode 495 | Recorded: December 11, 2025
#Venezuela #OilPolitics #Geopolitics #USForeignPolicy #EnergyWars
Episode 491 | Recorded: November 29, 2025
#Venezuela #AmericaFirst #USForeignPolicy #TRIPP #UkraineWar
Episode 491 | Recorded: November 29, 2025
#Venezuela #AmericaFirst #USForeignPolicy #TRIPP #UkraineWar