Category: Politics

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.

Asbed and Hovik describe the dire health of Armenian POWs detained in Baku and detail evidence that Pashinyan deliberately keeps them imprisoned to eliminate political rivals.

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.

Asbed describes how Aliyev publicly contradicted Merz’s denial of secret German-Russian talks in Baku, exposing the backchannels and leverage plays reshaping Ukraine peace negotiations.

Hovik describes how a farmer was arrested for hooliganism after refusing to be intimidated by a pro-government blogger, exposing the regime’s weaponization of vague charges to silence dissent.

Archil Sikharulidze argues that civil society organizations in Georgia, Armenia, and Russia are not independent movements but foreign-funded instruments operating under Western control.

In this week’s edition of the Armenian News podcast, Hovik and Asbed analyze escalating regional tensions as Ukraine expands operations into the Caspian Sea, striking Iranian and Russian assets. We examine how this merger of the Northern and Southern conflicts affects Armenia, Kazakhstan’s energy security, and Pashinyan’s diplomatic positioning amid new pressure from Western capitals following Aliyev’s recent visits to Germany and Berlin.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Dr. Archil Sikharulidze about Russia’s shifting strategy in the South Caucasus and Armenia and Georgia’s diverging paths. We discuss Moscow’s assessment of Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Process developments, Georgia’s widening dispute with Europe, Armenia’s shift away from Russia, and how regional transit corridors reshape geopolitical competition between Moscow, Brussels, and Washington.

Instead of fighting over politics, diasporans should focus on practical contributions: tech, environment, education, economy. Barsamian on what diaspora activists can actually accomplish.

Barsamian calls for the Armenian Church to hold a national assembly and take control of its own future, moving beyond political conflict with the government.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Anthony Barsamian about Armenian Diaspora advocacy, Armenia-Diaspora relations, and the next phase of Armenian-American activism. We discuss decades of work securing U.S.-Armenia relations and aid packages, the achievement of U.S. Armenian Genocide recognition and what comes next, and the role of the Armenian Republic in promoting international genocide recognition—including recent developments with Israeli recognition efforts.

In this week’s Groong Week in Review, Hovik and Asbed break down escalating tensions across the Middle East as the US-Iran war intensifies following the collapse of the June ceasefire. We examine the strategic implications for Armenia and the South Caucasus, the role of TRIPP advocates like Konstantin Sokolov, and how regional instability intersects with Pashinyan’s political vulnerabilities at home, including charges against Archbishop Galstanyan and ongoing Armenian POW cases.

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.