Armenia

In this week’s Groong episode, the hosts examine Pashinyan’s confrontation with the Armenian Church, Armenia’s strategic positioning between Russia and the EU, and the geopolitical implications of TRIPP. We discuss the trial of Catholicos Garegin II, Iran’s military leadership realignment, the Turkey-Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defense pact, and how these shifts reshape Armenia’s role in the South Caucasus.

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 holds Pashinyan responsible for the 2020 war loss, alleging he dismantled the military rearmament plans developed by the previous government and failed negotiations.

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.

Hrant Mikaelian explains that Russia’s demand for an Armenian referendum on EU/EAEU membership is designed to create a pretext for legally expelling Armenia from the Eurasian Economic Union.

In this week’s Groong Week in Review, Hovik and Asbed discuss Armenia’s new parliament sworn in on August 2, 2026, and the Armenia Alliance’s direct challenge to Civil Contract over Tigranashen. We examine the government’s evasive responses on territorial red lines, Armenia’s challenge to Russia’s railway concession, and how TRIPP reshapes regional power dynamics in the South Caucasus.

Arakelian argues that Pashinyan’s Western pivot lacks congressional support because it ignores the Armenian-American diaspora, capping Armenia’s influence in Washington and making the strategy vulnerable to changes in administration.

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.

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.

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.

Asbed and Hovik dissect how Ukrainian drones reached the Caspian Sea undetected, exploring launch routes, NATO intelligence support, and the strategic implications for the region.

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.

Barsamian weighs Armenia’s foreign policy pivot to the West against the persistent threat from unrepentant neighbors: can true security come without Turkey’s acknowledgment and commitment?

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

Barsamian argues that true reparations for the Armenian Genocide means ensuring Armenia’s security and military strength, not just symbolic recognition.

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.

Hovik and Asbed debate the Armenian opposition’s summer inaction strategy, asking whether waiting for a political trigger is wise or whether missed labor protest momentum squanders real opportunities.

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.

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.

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 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.

Suslov argues that Russian military victory in Ukraine could be hollow if coupled with loss of influence in Armenia, Moldova, and the South Caucasus-but emphasizes that nothing is permanent.

Suslov explains Russia’s conflicted view of TRIPP: a strategic threat violating the 2020 agreement, but potentially negotiable as a way to preserve Russian influence.

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 analyzes Israel’s Armenian Genocide recognition as geopolitical calculation rather than moral awakening, explaining why Pashinyan rejected it as weaponization.

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 reveals Russia’s actual red lines in the South Caucasus, explaining why TRIPP matters beyond transportation logistics and what military escalation would mean for the region.

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.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Baku and praised Aliyev for peace and cooperation, while remaining silent on Armenian POWs still held, ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, and destruction of Armenian heritage sites.

Hovik’s stark warning that EU priorities have shifted so radically toward Azerbaijan that even large-scale ethnic cleansing would likely be reframed as regional stability and economic progress.

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.