Nikol Pashinyan

Last updated: May 29, 2026

Nikol Pashinyan has been a central figure in Groong’s coverage since the podcast launched in 2020. He rose to power in 2018 through a street movement that its proponents called the Velvet Revolution — though a substantial segment of Armenian political opinion views the events as a color revolution or externally influenced regime change operation rather than a spontaneous civic uprising. Under Pashinyan, Armenia has undergone one of the most turbulent periods in its post-independence history.

The most consequential event of Pashinyan’s tenure was Armenia’s defeat in the 44-Day War of 2020, which ended with the loss of most of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) under a Russian-brokered ceasefire. Pashinyan survived political pressure to resign and consolidated power through snap elections in 2021. The September 2023 Azerbaijani offensive that caused the ethnic cleansing of the entire Armenian population of Artsakh deepened the crisis of legitimacy — both internationally and domestically — as critics argue his concessions to Aliyev made the outcome inevitable.

Since 2022, Pashinyan has undertaken a significant reorientation of Armenian foreign policy: suspending participation in the CSTO , deepening ties with France, the EU, and the United States, and accepting Western security assistance including an EU monitoring mission on the Armenian border. This pivot away from Russia has defined Armenian geopolitics in the post-Artsakh period. Groong has covered every major step of this reorientation, including what it means for Armenia’s relationship with Iran, India, and other partners.

Domestically, Groong’s coverage of Pashinyan addresses his government’s confrontation with the Armenian Church , the arrest of opposition figures and political prisoners , the Tavush border delimitation controversy, and Civil Contract’s campaign in the June 2026 parliamentary elections . Critics covered extensively on Groong argue that Pashinyan has used his parliamentary supermajority to weaken democratic institutions and neutralize political opposition under the guise of reform.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Nikol Pashinyan.

Surmalu Blast | Foreign Relations | Resistance Movement | Ep #156 - Aug 21, 2022 [EP156]

Posted on Monday, Aug 22, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Artsakh, Georgia, Geopolitics, India, Turkey, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: wir

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - August 21, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:44 Surmalu Blast
    • 01:44 What happened in Surmalu market?
    • 07:41 Why did Pashinyan jump the gun to declare that it’s not terrorism?
    • 08:45 Russian note of protest on anti-Russian sentiments in information sphere
    • 12:55 A mayoral campaign in the midst of tragedy?
    • 19:01 Policy response: ban fireworks?
  • 21:52 Foreign Relations
    • 21:52 Aliyev rejects Artsakh status
    • 28:26 Aghavno/Berdzor handed over
    • 41:50 Papikyan in Moscow
    • 43:28 Iranian red lines, again
    • 48:03 Checkpoints for Azerbaijan
  • 53:48 Resistance
 Read More

Surmalu Blast | Foreign Relations | Resistance Movement | Ep #156 - Aug 21, 2022 [EP156]

Posted on Monday, Aug 22, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Artsakh, Georgia, Geopolitics, India, Turkey, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - August 21, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:44 Surmalu Blast
    • 01:44 What happened in Surmalu market?
    • 07:41 Why did Pashinyan jump the gun to declare that it’s not terrorism?
    • 08:45 Russian note of protest on anti-Russian sentiments in information sphere
    • 12:55 A mayoral campaign in the midst of tragedy?
    • 19:01 Policy response: ban fireworks?
  • 21:52 Foreign Relations
    • 21:52 Aliyev rejects Artsakh status
    • 28:26 Aghavno/Berdzor handed over
    • 41:50 Papikyan in Moscow
    • 43:28 Iranian red lines, again
    • 48:03 Checkpoints for Azerbaijan
  • 53:48 Resistance
 Read More

Live from Aghavno with Alison Tahmizian Meuse | Ep #151 - Aug 7, 2022 [EP151]

Posted on Sunday, Aug 7, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Politics, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Israel, Genocide, NATO | Series: cog

This is a live recording of our Twitter Spaces discussion from August 7, 2022 with Alison Tahmizian Meuse who joined us from Aghavno.

The situation in Berdzor/Aghavno is quite concerning as residents were told to vacate their homes, their town and their homeland by August 25.

Guest: Alison Tahmizian Meuse

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 151 | Recorded on August 7, 2022

Live from Aghavno with Alison Tahmizian Meuse | Ep #151 - Aug 7, 2022 [EP151]

Posted on Sunday, Aug 7, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Politics, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Israel, Genocide, NATO

This is a live recording of our Twitter Spaces discussion from August 7, 2022 with Alison Tahmizian Meuse who joined us from Aghavno.

The situation in Berdzor/Aghavno is quite concerning as residents were told to vacate their homes, their town and their homeland by August 25.

Guest: Alison Tahmizian Meuse

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 151 | Recorded on August 7, 2022

Իրավիճակը Բերձորի շուրջ - The Situation Around Berdzor (Armenian) [EP150]

Posted on Sunday, Aug 7, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, In Armenian, China, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: cog

The Situation Around Berdzor with Hakob Hakobyan and Davit Galstyan

Իրավիճակը Բերձորի շուրջ Հակոբ Հակոբյանի և Դավիթ Գալստյանի հետ

Guests / Հյուրեր:

  • Hakob Hakobyan , co-chair of the Artsakh Justice Party. Հակոբ Հակոբյան, Արցախի Արդարություն Կուսակցության Õ¶Õ¡Õ­Õ¡Õ£Õ¡Õ°:

  • David Galstyan(/guest/dgalstyan), leader of the Justice faction in the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh. Ô´Õ¡Õ¾Õ«Õ© Ô³Õ¡Õ¬Õ½Õ¿ÕµÕ¡Õ¶, Արցախի Հանրապետության Ô±Õ¦Õ£Õ¡ÕµÕ«Õ¶ ÔºÕ¸Õ²Õ¸Õ¾Õ«

 Read More

Իրավիճակը Բերձորի շուրջ - The Situation Around Berdzor (Armenian) [EP150]

Posted on Sunday, Aug 7, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, In Armenian, China, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh

The Situation Around Berdzor with Hakob Hakobyan and Davit Galstyan

Իրավիճակը Բերձորի շուրջ Հակոբ Հակոբյանի և Դավիթ Գալստյանի հետ

Guests / Հյուրեր:

  • Hakob Hakobyan , co-chair of the Artsakh Justice Party. Հակոբ Հակոբյան, Արցախի Արդարություն Կուսակցության Õ¶Õ¡Õ­Õ¡Õ£Õ¡Õ°:

  • David Galstyan(/guest/dgalstyan), leader of the Justice faction in the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh. Ô´Õ¡Õ¾Õ«Õ© Ô³Õ¡Õ¬Õ½Õ¿ÕµÕ¡Õ¶, Արցախի Հանրապետության Ô±Õ¦Õ£Õ¡ÕµÕ«Õ¶ ÔºÕ¸Õ²Õ¸Õ¾Õ«

 Read More

Tehran 2022 | Normalization | EU-Azerbaijan Gas Deal | Personae Non Grata | Ep #149 - July 31, 2022 [EP149]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 2, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, Genocide, China, India, Israel, Lebanon, Economy, Human Rights | Series: wir

Guest(s):

ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 31, 2022

Topics:

  • Tehran 2022 Trilateral Summit
  • “Normalization” or Pax Turkiana?
  • EU - Azerbaijan gas deal
  • Diaspora Personae Non-Grata

Guests:

  • Yeghia Tashjian - TW/@yeghig

Host:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 149 | Recorded: Monday, July 31, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220731.html

Tehran 2022 | Normalization | EU-Azerbaijan Gas Deal | Personae Non Grata | Ep #149 - July 31, 2022 [EP149]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 2, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, Genocide, China, India, Israel, Lebanon, Economy, Human Rights

Guest(s):

ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 31, 2022

Topics:

  • Tehran 2022 Trilateral Summit
  • “Normalization” or Pax Turkiana?
  • EU - Azerbaijan gas deal
  • Diaspora Personae Non-Grata

Guests:

  • Yeghia Tashjian - TW/@yeghig

Host:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 149 | Recorded: Monday, July 31, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220731.html

Developments in Regional Geopolitics and Censorship Laws | Ep #146 - July 10, 2022 [EP146]

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 12, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Syria, India, Georgia, Israel, China, Economy, Ukraine, Armenian Church, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, Middle East | Series: wir

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - July 10, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:40 Developments in the Regional Geopolitics
  • 47:53 Watch your Internets!
  • 55:58 Rants

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian / TW/@Hrant_M
  • Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos

Host:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 146 | Recorded: Monday, July 11, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220710.html

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