Category: Politics

Hovik details Iran’s formal request for TRIPP safeguards and Pashinyan’s dismissal, illustrating Armenia’s strategic pivot away from its longtime partner toward NATO.

Asbed and Hovik expose the absence of transparent maps in Armenia’s border delimitation process, questioning what territorial figure the government is actually negotiating.

Hovik recounts a prank call where OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu promised to help Pashinyan remove Catholicos Garegin II and agreed that OSCE’s election monitoring was unfair to Armenia.

Asbed breaks down Pashinyan’s dangerous ‘scissors’ metaphor on border delimitation, which treats Azerbaijani military occupation as a negotiating position rather than an illegal invasion.

In this Groong Week in Review episode, Hovik and Asbed cover the 36th NATO summit in Ankara, escalating Iran war developments, and Armenia’s removal of murals honoring fallen soldiers. We discuss NATO’s defense spending surge, Trump’s shift on Turkey and F-35 access, Ukraine aid commitments, and what these geopolitical shifts mean for Armenia and the South Caucasus amid ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiations.

Suslov compares Pashinyan’s regime to Georgia’s Saakashvili, arguing Armenia is being systematically repurposed as a Western pawn against Russia.

Suslov explains Russia’s demand that Armenia hold a referendum to legitimize its choice between Eurasian integration and Western alignment, rejecting Pashinyan’s pivot as undemocratic.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Dr. Dmitry Suslov about Russia’s strategic position across multiple fronts: the Ukraine War, Armenia’s post-election Western pivot, TRIPP and Syunik, and Europe’s rearmament against Russia. We discuss the long-term confrontation between Russia and NATO, Pashinyan’s Western alignment after the June 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election, and how transport corridors in the South Caucasus may reshape regional containment lines.

Markedonov critiques the scale and sincerity of EU support for Pashinyan’s Western pivot, arguing that symbolic backing cannot replace Armenia’s deep economic ties to Russia.

Markedonov analyzes why Samvel Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia party emerged as the primary opposition force despite his lack of political background, signaling Armenian society’s demand for alternatives.

Markedonov documents Pashinyan’s systematic criminalization of opposition through the concept of ‘Sanation,’ revealing an authoritarian consolidation pattern in post-election Armenia.

Within hours of the Constitutional Court ruling, 2,000 NSS agents raided over 70 sites linked to opposition figure Gagik Tsarukyan, using military-grade weaponry in what hosts describe as political theater targeting alleged white-collar crimes.

Armenia’s Constitutional Court invalidated votes from three precincts to exclude Prosperous Armenia from parliament, falling just 200 votes short of the 4% threshold despite over 1.5 million total votes cast.

Armenia’s government is implementing a mandatory IMEI phone registry by 2027, framed as tax enforcement but critics warn it creates a centralized surveillance database linking every citizen’s phone to their identity, with few legal safeguards.

After the Constitutional Court ruling, Strong Armenia and Armenia Alliance confirmed they will accept parliamentary mandates, betting that legislative work combined with coordinated street action will be more effective than boycott.

In this episode of Groong Week in Review for July 5, 2026, Hovik and Asbed analyze Armenia’s Constitutional Court ruling upholding the disputed 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election results. We examine the disqualification of Prosperous Armenia votes, Civil Contract’s three-fifths majority, the opposition’s parliamentary leverage, and what these outcomes mean for Armenian sovereignty amid ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Process negotiations and regional pressures.

Amb. Aghajanian explains why Armenia’s Constitutional Court cannot deliver a fair legal ruling on the disputed June 2026 parliamentary elections, given that all judges were appointed by the ruling Civil Contract party.

Amb. Aghajanian argues that opposition parties should accept their parliamentary mandates even if they believe the June 2026 elections were fraudulent, using parliament as a political weapon.

Ambassador Aghajanian argues that Pashinyan’s response to Israeli Armenian Genocide recognition, warning against weaponization, echoes Turkish denialist narratives and represents a fundamental betrayal of Armenian historical truth.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Amb. Dziunik Aghajanian about the Iran-Israel conflict, Armenia’s 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election aftermath, and Israeli recognition of the Armenian Genocide. We discuss whether the US-Iran MOU represents genuine de-escalation or a tactical pause before renewed confrontation, the Constitutional Court’s review of election fraud allegations against the Civil Contract regime, and Russia’s warnings to Armenia amid regional instability.

Hovik assesses the Constitutional Court’s July 4 ruling on election appeals, predicting a 60% chance of no meaningful change and warning that new elections could serve as cover for opposition bans.

Asbed critiques Pashinyan’s silence on Israel’s cabinet recognition of the Armenian Genocide, arguing it hands Turkey new tools for denial.

Asbed explains the logic behind Armenia’s post-election arrests: disabling opposition in the present, not building lasting cases for future prosecution.

In this week’s Groong Week in Review, Hovik and Asbed discuss Israel’s historic recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Russia’s ongoing warnings toward Armenia, and the political uncertainty following the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election. We examine the geopolitical context behind Israel’s decision, Pashinyan’s measured response, and what these developments signal about Armenia’s regional position amid shifting US-Turkey relations and broader Middle East tensions.

The Constitutional Court hearing the election challenge is composed entirely of Pashinyan appointees, a historic precedent that fundamentally undermines claims of judicial independence.

Opposition leader Robert Kocharyan was detained at the airport without justification, then charged with crimes allegedly committed two decades ago that fall outside the statute of limitations.

The opposition hopes the Constitutional Court will overturn the election despite being staffed entirely with Pashinyan appointees. Hovik argues this optimism is unfounded.

In this Groong Week in Review episode, Hovik and Asbed examine the fallout from Armenia’s 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Elections, the ongoing US-Iran War ceasefire negotiations and their regional implications, and escalating political persecutions following the vote. We discuss how six opposition parties—including Strong Armenia, Armenia Alliance, Prosperous Armenia, and others—have challenged the election results at the Constitutional Court, Russia’s continued criticism of Pashinyan’s government amid an economic embargo, and Armenia-Azerbaijan telecommunications developments amid broader geopolitical uncertainty in the South Caucasus.

Grigoryan argues Pashinyan is strategically preparing for inevitable constitutional crises by disqualifying opposition parties and restricting diasporic-citizen voting rights.

Dr. Grigoryan deconstructs the Western narrative that Armenian voters made a ‘clear choice’ for Europe, arguing the election was driven by negative voting and distorted media narratives.

Grigoryan explains why the opposition lost: Strong Armenia and the Armenia Alliance embraced TRIPP and Western integration, making them indistinguishable from Pashinyan and thus unelectable.

Grigoryan argues that Armenian voters rejected the pre-2018 regime primarily because of systemic humiliation by oligarchs and local warlords, not merely economic corruption.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Dr. Arman Grigoryan about US-Iran negotiations and Armenia’s contested post-election landscape. We discuss the prospects for a US-Iran agreement, its implications for TRIPP and Iran-Russia relations, the aftermath of the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election, and how shifting great-power dynamics reshape the South Caucasus.

Hrant Mikaelian details how U.S. and European intelligence agencies, along with a Brussels-Berlin technical coordination group, directly shaped Armenia’s June 2026 elections to advance anti-Russian and TRIPP corridor objectives.

Hrant Mikaelian documents how the government cancelled results from three precincts to deliberately push Prosperous Armenia below the 4% threshold, effectively removing a major opposition party from parliament.

Political scientist Hrant Mikaelian outlines the opposition’s realistic options: accept parliamentary mandates, challenge electoral fraud at the Constitutional Court, and prepare for critical local elections in September and October.

Hrant Mikaelian explains why EVN Report, IRI, and MPG polls all failed catastrophically to predict civil Contract’s actual result, revealing systematic problems in Armenian political polling.

Political scientist Hrant Mikaelian explains why Pashinyan’s government is escalating repression despite claiming electoral victory, signaling deeper anxiety about legitimacy and control.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Hrant Mikaelian about the disputed aftermath of Armenia’s June 7, 2026 parliamentary election. We discuss allegations of electoral fraud, threats against opposition parties, the Anti-Corruption Committee’s proposed ban on opposition groups, Armenia-Russia tensions following the vote, and the EU’s financial support for Armenian agricultural exports amid Russian sanctions.

Hovik details how Armenia’s Central Election Commission invalidated entire precincts, removing 213 votes from Prosperous Armenia and pushing the party below the 4% threshold needed for parliamentary entry.

Hovik outlines a two-track strategy for the opposition: accept parliamentary mandates while appealing to the Constitutional Court and organizing street pressure to challenge Pashinyan’s illegitimate government.

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.