Conversations on Groong - October 3, 2020

It has now been 7 days since Azerbaijan initiated a wide-scale attack against Armenia and Artsakh. The tragic news of deaths and destruction continue to stream in every hour.

In today’s conversation on Groong, we talk to Jirair Libaridian and Thomas DeWaal about the regional geopolitics that helped create a ripe environment for renewed fighting and various potential scenarios that may develop as a result of it.

Questions explored:

• What was the path leading to the latest escalation?
• Why has Turkey taken an active role in the conflict?
• Was Russia caught

𝐀𝐍𝐍/𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 - (𝐄𝐩 #𝟏𝟖) - 𝟎𝟗/𝟐𝟕/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

Topics:

• The 29th Anniversary of Armenian Independence;
• Armenia’s foreign policy;
• Azerbaijan war of disinformation; and lastly
• Opposition trio rally and Tsarukyan’s arrest

Guests

• 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐚𝐧
• 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧
• 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐲𝐚𝐧

Hosts

• 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧
• 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20200927.html Episode 18 | Recorded on September 26, 2020

𝐀𝐍𝐍/𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 - 𝟎𝟗/𝟐𝟎/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

Topics:

• Constitutional Court Appointment
• Armenia’s Growing National Debt
• Calls for the Resignation of the Minister of Education
• Escalated Tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijan border
  • Armenian Soldier dies amidst escalation
  • Azerbaijan again slams negotiations, turns away Russian AWACS
• Khodorkovsky Publishes New Dossier on Armenian & Azerbaijan
• Bob Dole hired by Embassy of Armenia as a Lobbyist

Guests

• 𝐇𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐲𝐚𝐧
• 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐲𝐚𝐧
• 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐙𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐧

Hosts

• 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧
• 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20200920.html Episode 16 | Recorded on September 20, 2020

Armenian News Network/Groong: 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚 - 𝐒𝐞𝐩 𝟏𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎)

Conversations on Groong

Background and formulation of the telecoms market in Armenia

Telecommunications market in Armenia started with the monopoly of the incumbent operator ArmenTel owned jointly by Greek state owned company OTE (90%) and Armenian government (10%). The sale-purchase agreement granted ArmenTel (recently rebranded to VEON) exclusive rights to provide basic telecommunications services including international Internet connectivity, mobile and fixed telephony. ArmenTel’s monopoly remained till

𝐀𝐍𝐍/𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 - 𝟎𝟗/𝟏𝟑/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

Topics:

• Electoral Reforms in Armenia
• Journalist Dana Mazalová passes away
• ANSEF Reorganization
• My Step MP Arsen Julfalakyan Resigns from Parliament
• Russian Opposition Leader Navalny’s Poisoning and Recovery
• What is going on in Baku?
  • Azeri pressure on Arms Providers to Armenia
  • Aliyev vs. Aliyeva?
  • Caucasus 2020 Joint Military Exercises and those MIA

Guests

• 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐚𝐧
• 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐲𝐚𝐧
• 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐙𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐧

Hosts

• 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧
• 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20200913.html Episode 14 | Recorded on September 13, 2020

𝐀𝐍𝐍/𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 - 𝟎𝟗/𝟎𝟔/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

Topics:

• Adios Madrid?
• A New Repatriation Package & iGorts
• Adios Torosyan?
• Update on Covid in Armenia / State of Emergency
• Panelist Soapboxes

Guests

• 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐚𝐧
• 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐤𝐡𝐜𝐡𝐲𝐚𝐧
• 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐲𝐚𝐧

Hosts

• 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧
• 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20200906.html Episode 13 | Recorded on September 6, 2020

𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲 - 𝟎𝟗/𝟎𝟓/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

Conversations on Groong

Armenia has European grade laws in the areas of finance, business, data protection and privacy. What is preventing Armenia from achieving its full potential in foreign direct investment (FDI)? Why do many Armenian startups incorporate in foreign countries, and use Armenia as their offshore labor resource?

Our Guest is David Sandukhchyan is a lawyer with 20 years of experience in telecommunications, cyber law, media and personal data protection. He started his legal career as an Internet freedom advocate and

𝐀𝐍𝐍/𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 - 𝟎𝟖/𝟑𝟎/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

Topics:

• Armenian POW Gurgen Alaverdyan
• Armenia’s Humanitarian Aid to Aleppo
• Serge Sargsyan’s Interview and the Four-Day War Deliberations
• National Awards
• Vagharshak Harutyunyan’s Appointment as Chief Advisor to Pashinyan

Guests:

• 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐚𝐧
• 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐲𝐚𝐧
• 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐙𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐧

Hosts:

• 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧
• 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20200830.html Episode 11 | Recorded on August 30 2020

𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚 - 𝟎𝟖/𝟏𝟎/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎 Conversations on Groong 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐚𝐧 talks with 𝐀𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐢𝐚𝐧 & 𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐃𝐯𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐧

Topics:

Background of education reform(s) in Armenia In depth analysis of the content, standards & measurable outcomes of the proposed curriculum’s history & literature segments. Challenges of implementing the proposed curriculum

In recent months, Armenia’s government has published its proposal for K-12 curriculum reform in Armenian schools. The new curriculum, which includes education standards and learning outcomes, proved to be quite controversial with many