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.
Former Artsakh Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan (Ep #42) - 01/18/2021 [EP42]
Posted on Monday, Jan 18, 2021 | Category: Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Human Rights, Iran, Ukraine, Israel, Syria, Russia | Series: cog
Guest(s):
Former Artsakh Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan - 01/18/2021
Weâll be discussing various legal and human-rights topics within the context of recent developments in Armenia.
Guest:
- Ruben Melikyan was formerly Artsakhâs Human Rights Ombudsman and prior to that rector of the Justice Academy of Armenia. In 2019, Melikyan co-founded and currently leads the âPath of Lawâ NGO.
Topics:
- Why are there Armenian POWs still in Azerbaijan so long after the Nov. 9 ceasefire agreement?
- On Constitutional Court judges being forced to resign
- On Parliamentâs endorsement of Gagik
Former Artsakh Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan (Ep #42) - 01/18/2021 [EP42]
Posted on Monday, Jan 18, 2021 | Category: Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Human Rights, Iran, Ukraine, Israel, Syria, RussiaGuest(s):
Former Artsakh Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan - 01/18/2021
Weâll be discussing various legal and human-rights topics within the context of recent developments in Armenia.
Guest:
- Ruben Melikyan was formerly Artsakhâs Human Rights Ombudsman and prior to that rector of the Justice Academy of Armenia. In 2019, Melikyan co-founded and currently leads the âPath of Lawâ NGO.
Topics:
- Why are there Armenian POWs still in Azerbaijan so long after the Nov. 9 ceasefire agreement?
- On Constitutional Court judges being forced to resign
- On Parliamentâs endorsement of Gagik
Conversation with Aram Vardevanyan (Ep #41) - 01/13/2021 [EP41]
Posted on Wednesday, Jan 13, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Human Rights, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Israel, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade | Series: cog
Guest(s):
Conversation with Aram Vardevanyan - 01/13/2021
Since Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018, and prior to the Artsakh war of 2020, issues around the Armenian constitution and constitutional court have been in the center of public attention. These issues have been partly fueled by one of the most prominent legal cases in recent Armenian history, the March 1 trial against Armenian president Robert Kocharyan and military leadership at the time. We’ll explore issues surrounding the March 1 case, as well as legal and specifically constitutional questions related
Read MoreConversation with Aram Vardevanyan (Ep #41) - 01/13/2021 [EP41]
Posted on Wednesday, Jan 13, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Human Rights, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Israel, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh BlockadeGuest(s):
Conversation with Aram Vardevanyan - 01/13/2021
Since Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018, and prior to the Artsakh war of 2020, issues around the Armenian constitution and constitutional court have been in the center of public attention. These issues have been partly fueled by one of the most prominent legal cases in recent Armenian history, the March 1 trial against Armenian president Robert Kocharyan and military leadership at the time. We’ll explore issues surrounding the March 1 case, as well as legal and specifically constitutional questions related
Read MoreState of The Opposition | Update on Am/Az Border Positions | State of the Artsakh LoC (Ep #40) [EP40]
Posted on Monday, Jan 11, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Georgia, Middle East, Turkey, Ukraine | Series: wir
Guest(s):
ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 40 - Jan 10, 2021
Topics Covered:
- The State of the Opposition and their demands
- Update on the Border Positions between Armenia & Azerbaijan
- The State of the Line of Contact around Artsakh
Guests
- Asbed Kotchikian
- George Tabakian
Your Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan
Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210110.html Recorded: January 10, 2021
State of The Opposition | Update on Am/Az Border Positions | State of the Artsakh LoC (Ep #40) [EP40]
Posted on Monday, Jan 11, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Georgia, Middle East, Turkey, UkraineGuest(s):
ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 40 - Jan 10, 2021
Topics Covered:
- The State of the Opposition and their demands
- Update on the Border Positions between Armenia & Azerbaijan
- The State of the Line of Contact around Artsakh
Guests
- Asbed Kotchikian
- George Tabakian
Your Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan
Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210110.html Recorded: January 10, 2021
Conversation with My Step's Maria Karapetyan (Ep #39) - 01/08/2021 [EP39]
Posted on Friday, Jan 8, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, China, Human Rights, Israel, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: cog
Guest(s):
Conversation with My Step’s Maria Karapetyan - 01/08/2021
As protesters in the streets of Yerevan continue demanding the resignation of PM Nikol Pashinyan in the aftermath of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ruling My Step faction seems to be firmly on the side of the prime minister.
In the last week or so here at Groong we hosted representatives of various opposition parties and today we will host a representative from the ruling My Step faction to talk about the ongoing political crisis in Armenia.
Today weâre joined by:
Maria Karapetyan, who is a member
Read MoreConversation with My Step's Maria Karapetyan (Ep #39) - 01/08/2021 [EP39]
Posted on Friday, Jan 8, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, China, Human Rights, Israel, Nagorno KarabakhGuest(s):
Conversation with My Step’s Maria Karapetyan - 01/08/2021
As protesters in the streets of Yerevan continue demanding the resignation of PM Nikol Pashinyan in the aftermath of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ruling My Step faction seems to be firmly on the side of the prime minister.
In the last week or so here at Groong we hosted representatives of various opposition parties and today we will host a representative from the ruling My Step faction to talk about the ongoing political crisis in Armenia.
Today weâre joined by:
Maria Karapetyan, who is a member
Read MoreOpposition Talks: Edmon Marukyan of Bright Armenia Party (Ep. 36) [EP36]
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 23, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Economy, Genocide, Human Rights, NATO | Series: cog
Guest(s):
Conversation with Bright Armenia’s Edmon Marukyan
Following the trilateral Karabakh ceasefire of Nov 9, all major political forces in Armenia (except for the ruling party) condemned Nikol Pashinyanâs agreement to the deal. While the dissatisfaction with the agreement is widespread, the opposition is not entirely unified on what to do next.
Weâll talk with the leader of one of the 2 parliamentary opposition factions, Bright Armenia about his, and his partyâs vision and subsequent actions to be taken by Armenia.
What is Bright Armeniaâs vision for post
Read More