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.

Armenian News: "Peace" Deal | Artsakh Gas | Ukraine Protests | Vardenis | Ep #129 - Mar 20, 2022 [EP129]

Posted on Monday, Mar 21, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkey, Artsakh, China, Economy, Georgia, India, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, European Union | Series: wir

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - March 20, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 00:47 Azerbaijan’s “Peace” Deal
  • 13:34 Artsakh Without Natural Gas in Winter
  • 28:07 Ukraine Protests in Yerevan
  • 43:29 Vardenis Mayoral Issue Resolved
  • 47:17 Rants

Guest:

Host:

Episode 129 | Recorded: Sunday, March 21, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220320.html

Armenian News: "Peace" Deal | Artsakh Gas | Ukraine Protests | Vardenis | Ep #129 - Mar 20, 2022 [EP129]

Posted on Monday, Mar 21, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkey, Artsakh, China, Economy, Georgia, India, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, European Union

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - March 20, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 00:47 Azerbaijan’s “Peace” Deal
  • 13:34 Artsakh Without Natural Gas in Winter
  • 28:07 Ukraine Protests in Yerevan
  • 43:29 Vardenis Mayoral Issue Resolved
  • 47:17 Rants

Guest:

Host:

Episode 129 | Recorded: Sunday, March 21, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220320.html

Ukraine | Dismissing Generals | 2nd Normalization Meeting | New President | Ep #126 - Mar 6, 2022 [EP126]

Posted on Monday, Mar 7, 2022 | Category: Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Turkey, China, Economy, Syria, Genocide, Iran, Azerbaijan, Geopolitics, Georgia, India, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, NATO | Series: wir

Guest(s):

ANN/Groong Week in Review - March 6, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:15 Ukraine War and Effects on Armenia
  • 19:04 Armenia Shuffles Generals
  • 25:15 Second Normalization Meeting
  • 33:06 Armenian Parliament Elects New President

Guest:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@Benyamin_Poghos

Host:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 126 | Recorded: Sunday, March 6, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220306.html

Ukraine | Dismissing Generals | 2nd Normalization Meeting | New President | Ep #126 - Mar 6, 2022 [EP126]

Posted on Monday, Mar 7, 2022 | Category: Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Turkey, China, Economy, Syria, Genocide, Iran, Azerbaijan, Geopolitics, Georgia, India, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, NATO

Guest(s):

ANN/Groong Week in Review - March 6, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:15 Ukraine War and Effects on Armenia
  • 19:04 Armenia Shuffles Generals
  • 25:15 Second Normalization Meeting
  • 33:06 Armenian Parliament Elects New President

Guest:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@Benyamin_Poghos

Host:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 126 | Recorded: Sunday, March 6, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220306.html

Armenia’s Regional Challenges with Tatev Hayrapetyan | Ep #124 - Feb 26, 2022 [EP124]

Posted on Saturday, Feb 26, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Artsakh, China, India, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: cog

Armenia’s Regional Challenges - February 26, 2022 A Conversation with Tatev Hayrapetyan

Topics:

  • Tatev’s Background and Entrance into Politics
  • Armenia Going in the Wrong Direction?
  • Aliyev and his Regime after the 44-Day War
  • The Shushi and Moscow Agreements
  • Armenia’s Foreign Affairs Establishment

Guest:

  • Tatev Hayrapetyan is an expert in Azerbaijani studies and holds a PhD in History. She was an MP at the 7th convocation of Armenia’s National Assembly, a member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Armenian Delegation at the PACE. She is mainly focused on domestic
 Read More

Armenia’s Regional Challenges with Tatev Hayrapetyan | Ep #124 - Feb 26, 2022 [EP124]

Posted on Saturday, Feb 26, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Artsakh, China, India, Nagorno Karabakh

Armenia’s Regional Challenges - February 26, 2022 A Conversation with Tatev Hayrapetyan

Topics:

  • Tatev’s Background and Entrance into Politics
  • Armenia Going in the Wrong Direction?
  • Aliyev and his Regime after the 44-Day War
  • The Shushi and Moscow Agreements
  • Armenia’s Foreign Affairs Establishment

Guest:

  • Tatev Hayrapetyan is an expert in Azerbaijani studies and holds a PhD in History. She was an MP at the 7th convocation of Armenia’s National Assembly, a member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Armenian Delegation at the PACE. She is mainly focused on domestic
 Read More

Political Topics with Edmon Marukyan | Ep #120 - Feb 18, 2022 [EP120]

Posted on Friday, Feb 18, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Genocide, Azerbaijan, Economy, Artsakh, Armenian Genocide, Russia, Human Rights, USA, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union | Series: cog

Political Topics with Edmon Marukyan - February 18, 2022

Topics:

  • Constitutional Change Commission
  • Artsakh Law on Occupied Territories
  • State of Bright Armenia Party
  • Turkish-Armenian Normalization

Guest:

  • Edmon Marukyan, who is a lawyer by profession and the leader of the Bright Armenia party (Լուսավոր Հայաստան). He was a member of the fifth, sixth and seventh convocations of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia from 2012 till 2021. He’s also a member of the newly formed commission to amend the constitution.

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
 Read More

Political Topics with Edmon Marukyan | Ep #120 - Feb 18, 2022 [EP120]

Posted on Friday, Feb 18, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Genocide, Azerbaijan, Economy, Artsakh, Armenian Genocide, Russia, Human Rights, USA, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union

Political Topics with Edmon Marukyan - February 18, 2022

Topics:

  • Constitutional Change Commission
  • Artsakh Law on Occupied Territories
  • State of Bright Armenia Party
  • Turkish-Armenian Normalization

Guest:

  • Edmon Marukyan, who is a lawyer by profession and the leader of the Bright Armenia party (Լուսավոր Հայաստան). He was a member of the fifth, sixth and seventh convocations of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia from 2012 till 2021. He’s also a member of the newly formed commission to amend the constitution.

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
 Read More

POWs | War Commission | Degrading Democracy | Lukashenko | MPG poll | Ep #119 - Feb 13, 2022 [EP119]

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 15, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, China, Ukraine, Georgia, Israel, USA, Economy, Human Rights, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, Geopolitics, Lebanon, NATO, Syria | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 13, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00:00 Introduction
  • 00:02:43 8 More POWs Released, But What At What Cost?
  • 00:20:40 Parliamentary Commission on the 44-Day War Established
  • 00:33:42 The Degrading Norms of Democracy in Armenia
  • 00:46:42 Who Needs Armenia?
  • 01:06:32 Latest MPG Poll Results in Yerevan
  • 01:18:51 Rants

Guest:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

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

Episode 119 | Recorded: Sunday, February 14, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220213.html