Series: Video

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Guest:

• Dr. Arman Grigoryan

Topics:

• Syria’s Fall and Regional Power Shifts
• Turkey’s Expanding Influence in Syria
• Impact on Armenia-Azerbaijan Relations
• Russia and Iran’s Middle East Strategy

Episode 399 | Recorded: December 19, 2024

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Guest:

• Gev Iskajyan

Topics:

• Memories of the Artsakh Blockade
• Ethnic Cleansing
• Trump Returns to the White House

Episode 397 | Recorded: December 18, 2024

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Guest:

• Prof. Varuzhan Geghamyan

Topics:

• Syria and the Middle East
• The South Caucasus
• Turkey, Iran, Russia

Episode 396 | Recorded: December 13, 2024

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Guest:

• Larry C Johnson

Topics:

• Syria and the Middle East
• The South Caucasus
• Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance
• 44-Day War and the ISR Factor
• Fueling Other Wars

Episode 395 | Recorded: December 12, 2024

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Guest:

• Karen Kwiatkowski

Topics:

• Turkey’s Role in the 44-Day War
• NATO and Intelligence Sharing
• Global Power Rivalries
• Lessons from U.S. Intelligence Practices

Episode 392 | Recorded: December 2, 2024

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Guest:

• Jeffrey Sachs

Topics:

• Escalation in Syria
• COP29 Summit
• Can NATO save Armenia?

Episode 391 | Recorded: December 4, 2024

Groong Links:

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Guest:

• Dr. Pascal Lottaz

Topics:

• What is Neutrality Studies?
• Rise of the Multi-Polar World

Episode 367 | Recorded: September 18, 2024

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Guest:

• Glenn Diesen

Topics:

• Norwegian & NATO Support for Ukraine
• “The Ukraine War & the Eurasian World Order”
• Small States and Multipolarity
• Armenia’s Position in a Multipolar World

Episode 359 | Recorded: August 30, 2024

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Topics:

• Report on Police Brutality on June 12 Rally
• PACE Resolution on Armenia
• Armenia’s High Pretrial Detention Rate
• Spotlight on Political Prisoner: Avetik Chalabyan

Guest:

• Rafael Ishkhanyan

Episode 343 | Recorded: June 28, 2024

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Topics:

• Detention vs. Arrest
• Hundreds Of Protesters Arrested
• “Red Berets” Beat Up MP
• Artsakh Mayors Under Arrest
• Podcasters Released But Banned From Podcasting
  • Narek Samsonyan
  • Vazgen Saghatelyan

Guest:

• Rafael Ishkhanyan

Episode 336 | Recorded: June 16, 2024

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Topics:

• Political Prisoners in Armenia
• Armenia’s Hate Speech Laws
• Cases
  • Samuel Vardanyan
  • Narek Malyan
  • Armen Grigorian

Guest:

• Rafael Ishkhanyan

Episode 325 | Recorded: April 20, 2024

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Topics:

• Mission Details
  • Mission & Goals
  • Operational Details
  • Communication
  • Immunity
• Perceptions from Neighboring Countries
• Incidents
  • August 15 ,2023
  • Nerkin Hand

Guest:

• Dr. Markus Ritter

Episode 322 | Recorded: March 26, 2024

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Topics:

• US Strategic Interests in the South Caucasus
• The Challenge of Armenia’s Neighborhood
• Weaponry that could help Armenia
• Clear Expectations and Limits
• The Turkish Factor
• The Iranian Factor

Guest:

• Paul Cormarie

Episode 321 | Recorded: March 26, 2024

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Topics:

• IRI Poll, December 2023
• MPG Poll, February 2024

Guest:

• Hrant Mikaelian

Topics:

Episode 317 | Recorded: March 16, 2024

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Guest:

• Canadian Ambassador Andrew Turner

Topics:

• Establishment of Canadian Embassy in Armenia
• EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia (EUMA)
• Political Prisoners
• Canadian Military Supplies to Turkey

Episode 316 | Recorded: March 15, 2024

Groong Links:

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Guest:

• Dziunik Aghajanian

Topics:

• Armenia Stalled
  • Stalled with Enemies
  • Stalled with Allies
• Economic Diversification
• Fish Rots from the Head

Episode 313 | Recorded: Mar 11, 2024

Groong Links:

• linktr.ee/Groong

Guest:

• Levon Zourabian

Topics:

• Armenian National Congress (ANC)
• Democracy and Armenia
• Azerbaijan-Armenia Negotiations
• Artsakh
• Global Conflicts - Israel, Ukraine

Episode 290 | Recorded: October 27, 2023

Topics:

• Armenia’s Diplomacy at the UN
• Artsakh Elections / Blockade
• Yerevan Elections

Guest:

• Dziunik Aghajanian

Guest:

• Anna Abrahamian

Topics:

• The Wagner Group
• Special Ops in Russia
• Over at The Ministry of Defense
• A White Russian
• On The Western Front
• Are We Done Yet?
• Parallels with 2016 in Armenia?
• PMCs in Armenia?

Episode 265 | Recorded: June 30, 2023

Guest:

• Naira Melikyan

In this Conversations on Groong episode, we’ll be talking Naira Melikyan who shares troubling information from her attempt to travel to Artsakh via the newly built road passing by the village of Kornidzor. Armenian border guards turned away the Miasin group citing security concerns.

Episode 245 | Recorded: April 7, 2023

Today we’re going to talk with Anna Abrahamian about two or three topics.

• The Munich Security Conference 2023.
• We’ll touch on Russian president Putin’s state of the federation address.
• The latest political developments in Artsakh.

Guest:

• Anna Abrahamian , a geopolitical analyst who splits her time between Moscow and Athens. Having obtained training in international law, Anna has worked in such noteworthy institutions as the Defense Analyses Institute in Athens as well as the Crisis Group in Brussels. Today, Anna provides her analysis on geopolitics and Armenian politics to her

In this Conversations on Groong episode, we’ll be talking about the Internet censorship bill proposed in Armenia before the new year. We’ll also talk about the threat and activity of some Cyber spying malware in Armenia, such as the Israeli Pegasus software, which represents a threat to journalists and freedom of expression.

Topics:

• Censoring the Internet
• Cyberthreats and Cyberspying in Armenia

Guest: Artur Papyan , malware researcher, digital security consultant, co-founder of CyberHub and director of the Media DIversity Institute .

Episode 229 | Recorded: February 24, 2023

Guests:

• Suren Sargsyan , founder and a President at the Armenian Center for American Studies, a research center based in Yerevan.

“Pashinyan’s participation in Munich Security Conference didn’t give anything to Armenia” - Suren Sargsyan

Topic:

Today is day 72 of the total blockade of Artsakh. For 72 days, the 120K citizens of Artsakh have not had the ability to enter or exit their country. They are deprived of the ability to visit Armenia or to receive guests from Armenia. With very limited supplies, they are forced to ration food with the help of food stamps in order to

Guests:

• Aram Orbelyan , international law specialist, who is an attorney and managing partner at Concern Dialog law firm, and PhD in Public international law. Mr. Orbelyan lectures at the Academy of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia, and lectured public international law at French University of Armenia. Mr. Orbelyan was Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia between 2011 and 2014.

“The Armenian government, under its legislation, is obliged to protect the independence of Artsakh” - Aram Orbelyan

Topic:

As of earlier this week, Artsakh has introduced coupons to ration food. Other

Guests:

• William Bairamian , founder and editor of The Armenite. He has written extensively on Armenian politics, culture, and society. He received degrees in international affairs from Columbia University and UCLA.
• Arthur Khachikyan , International Relations expert from Stanford University, specializing in Intervention. He currently teaches at the Russian Armenian University in Yerevan.

“This is a repeat of Srebrenica. To gradually strangle and force the people to leave.” -Arthur Khachikyan

Topic:

More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh)

Guest:

• Hovhannes Ishkhanyan , writer, documentary filmmaker, publicist, co-founder of Eye for an Eye (Akn Und Akan), a community of documentarians. Hovhannes has a Master’s in journalism from the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs.

Using art to prevent catastrophes instead of reacting to them

Ishkhanyan’s documentary “Sleep art”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzqzPpVsK-g

Topic:

More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin (Berdzor) corridor, as this crisis enters its 25th

Guest:

• Karen Vrtanesyan , expert on military and warfare strategies with a focus on Armenia and its neighboring region. Co-founder of the website razm.info.

“This is not a humanitarian crisis. This is a political crisis, a crisis of statehood. -Karen Vrtanesyan”

Topic:

This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian crisis in progress.

Links:

• 168 Hours: https://168.am
• Groong: https://podcasts.groong.org

Episode 196 | Recorded: December 30, 2022

Guest:

• Benyamin Poghosyan , Chairman of the Yerevan based think tank Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies.

“Aliyev’s strategy is ’no Armenians, no problems’. What is our strategy?” -Benyamin Poghosyan

Topic:

More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, as this crisis enters its 16th day.

This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this

Guest:

• Arthur Khachatryan , an MP from the Hayastan (Armenia) alliance and member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF Dashnaktsutyun). In the past, he held government posts such as Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Development, Governor of Shirak, and Minister of Agriculture.

“The Armenian authorities are trying to bury the issue of status of Artsakh” -Arthur Khachatryan

Topic:

More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, as this crisis enters its 15th day.

Guest:

• Edgar Elbakyan , a political scientist and social thinker based in Yerevan, Armenia. He is a co-founder of the Armenian Project non-profit organization, which contributes to enhancing Armenian national civil society.

“The problem is not resources or power, the problem is how you put forward your goals”

Topic:

The blockade of Artsakh is now 13 days old. More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh). Supermarket shelves are empty. Essential medicine is running out.

On Friday, December 23, that’s yesterday, a meeting between

“Turkish threats are going to disappear only when there is no Armenia” - Varuzhan Geghamyan

Guest:

• Varuzhan Geghamyan

Topic:

• We continue our coverage of the crisis in Artsakh by developments in the UN Security Council as well as Turkish and Iranian concerns in the region.
• More than 120 thousand people, including 30 thousand children, are under siege. Today is the 11th day of the crisis.
• This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between ANN/Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian

“Current Armenian government blames everyone, but themselves, Azerbaijan and Turkey.” -Aram Orbelyan

Guest:

• Aram Orbelyan , an international law specialist, who is an attorney and managing partner at Concern Dialog law firm, and PhD in Public international law. Mr. Orbelyan lectures at the Academy of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia, and lectured public international law at French University of Armenia. Mr. Orbelyan was Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia between 2011 and 2014.

Topic:

This is Day 11 of the complete blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. More than 120 thousand

“Armenia has to draw a red line - Artsakh can never be part of Azerbaijan” -Hayk Mamijanyan

Guest:

• Hayk Mamijanyan is the leader of the oppositional Pativ Unem (With Honor) alliance in the Armenian National Assembly, and a member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA).

Topic:

This is Day 9 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan.

This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian crisis in progress.

Links:

• 168 Hours: https://168.am

“Pashinyan, why don’t you go and shake Artak Beglaryan’s hand, like you did in Shushi in 2019” - Tevan Poghosyan

Guest:

• Tevan Poghosyan , is president of the International Center for Human Development in Yerevan. Mr. Poghosyan was an MP in the National Assembly between 2012 and 2017 from the Heritage party. From 1997 to 1999 he served as the Nagorno-Karabakh Public Affairs Office Director in Washington, D.C.

Topic:

This is Day 9 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more

“This is the policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the people of Artsakh” -Arman Tatoyan

Guest:

• Arman Tatoyan , is the former ombudsman of the Republic of Armenia. Currently actively pursues human rights for Armenians in the republics of Armenia and Artsakh, especially through his foundation, the “Tatoyan” Center for Law and Justice.

Topic:

This is Day 9 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan.

As we are recording this discussion, more than 120 thousand people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh). For 9 days, Azerbaijan has brazenly blocked

Guest:

• Hrant Mikaelian , a political scientist and multidisciplinary researcher in social sciences based in Yerevan. He is also a senior researcher at the Caucasus Institute.

“The full state-led attack against Artsakh and Armenia, which no-one in Europe condemned, was a case where the military solution worked. From 2020 onwards, many actors in the world see that you can attack and get away with it.”

Topic:

This is Day 8 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. 120 thousand people are effectively being held hostage by the regime in Baku.

Groong and 168 Hours are continuing our

Guest:

• Arthur Khachikyan , PhD is an International Relations expert from Stanford University, specializing in Intervention. He currently teaches at the Russian Armenian University in Yerevan.

Topic:

We’re going on to Day 6 of the Artsakh Blockade by Azerbaijan, and Groong and 168 Hours are teaming up to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious issue, a major humanitarian crisis in Artsakh in progress.

“We somehow have this complex. We think we’re the sleeping beauty and the west is going to come and save us. And every time that it

Anar Valiyev and Benyamin Poghosyan discuss stumbling blocks in post-war negotiations

Guests:

• Dr. Anar Valiyev, Associate Professor at Azerbaijani Diplomatic Academy (ADA) University in Baku.
• Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan, Chairman of Yerevan-based think tank Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies.

Topics:

• Artsakh Status (@4:54)
• Is the conflict really “solved” (@11:04)
• Opening of Communications (@38:52)
• Corridor for Corridor (@46:32)
• “Unimpeded” Access (@50:15)
• Russia’s regional role (@53:16)
• Turkey’s regional role (@58:48)
• 3+3 or 3+2 Format

Talking with Alison Tahmizian Meuse - TW/@AliTahmizian - November 17, 2021

• Alison Tahmizian Meuse is a graduate of the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. She is a French and Arabic speaker, and a veteran Middle East journalist, having worked over the past decade as a producer, correspondent and editor for major international publications including Agence France-Presse, NPR, and the Asia Times. She currently serves as a strategic advisor for the New Delhi-based consultancy DeepStrat and is newly based in Yerevan.

Topics:

• The drive to cover dangerous

Armenia’s Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021

Guest:

• Rouben Galichian

Topics:

• Following the 44-day War in Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s president demands Armenia sign a “Peace Treaty” involving full border recognition.
• Historical and contemporary mapping of Armenian borders
• Early cartography and 20th-century developments
• Enclaves, the Goris-Kapan Highway, and Sev Lake
• Armenia-Iran border considerations

Episode 95 | Recorded: October 29, 2021