Robert Kocharyan

Last updated: May 29, 2026

Robert Kocharyan served as President of Armenia from 1998 to 2008, making him the second president of the post-Soviet republic. Before that he served as President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic from 1994 to 1997 and as Prime Minister of Armenia. His decade in power shaped the political and economic landscape of the country and its approach to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

After leaving the presidency, Kocharyan faced criminal prosecution under the Pashinyan government on charges related to the March 2008 post-election crackdown, a case that became a focal point of the political struggle between the ruling party and the opposition. He was eventually acquitted and returned to active political life as the leader of the Armenia Alliance (Hayastan Dashinq), an opposition coalition that includes the ARF and other forces.

With more than 60 episodes of coverage, Groong has followed Kocharyan’s legal battles, his political comeback, his leadership of the opposition coalition, and the Armenia Alliance’s positions on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the peace process with Azerbaijan, and Armenia’s geopolitical orientation. He is one of the central figures in the contest for power heading into the June 2026 parliamentary elections.

MPG and IRI Polls | Armenian Economy | US Armenia Relations | Geopolitics | Ep 163 - Sep 11, 2022 [EP163]

Posted on Monday, Sep 12, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Economy, Georgia, Turkey, Geopolitics, Iran, NATO | Series: wir

Armenian News Network - Groong Week in Review - Sep 11, 2022

Topics:

  • Latest MPG and IRI Poll Results
  • What’s Up with the Armenian Economy?
  • US Armenia Relations
  • Geopolitical Developments

Index: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:52 Guests 00:01:18 Topics 00:02:20 Greetings 00:02:24 MPG and IRI Poll Results 00:21:54 Armenian Economy Dynamics 00:37:13 US-Armenia Relations 00:48:06 Geopolitics, the War in Ukraine 00:55:14 Rants, Personal Statements 00:56:17 Good byes 00:56:27 Closing comments

Guest:

  • Hrant Mikaelian - TW/@hrant_m
  • Suren Sargsyan - TW/@S_A_Sargsyan

Guest(s):

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Tevan Poghosyan: CIA in EVN | Armen Grigoryan | Papazian Banned | FMs Meet | Ep #148 - July 17, 2022 [EP148]

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 20, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Human Rights, Syria, Genocide, Middle East, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, European Union | Series: wir

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - July 17, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00:00 Introduction
  • 00:02:30 CIA Chief in Armenia
  • 00:18:26 Army Chief Appointed
  • 00:30:41 Armen Grigoryan Dies in Court
  • 00:45:14 Mourad Papazian is Denied Entry in Armenia
  • 00:57:04 Bayramov and Mirzoyan in Tbilisi
  • 01:06:11 Rants

Guests:

  • Tevan Poghosyan - TW/@TevanPoghosyan

Host:

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

Episode 148 | Recorded: Monday, July 19, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220717.html

Armenian News: Opposition | Jhangiryan Scandal | Peace Talks, Shootings | Ep #143 - Jun 19, 2022 [EP143]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 21, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Artsakh, China, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: wir

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong - Week in Review - June 19, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:53 Did the Opposition Blink? What will happen to the Yerevan protests?
  • 15:54 Scandal in the Supreme Judicial Council involving Gagik Jhangiryan (SJC)
  • 34:31 More Artsakh “Peace” Talks, More Border Shootings
  • 52:32 Rants

Guests:

  • Tevan Poghosyan / Թեւան Պողոսյան / TW/@TevanPoghosyan

Host:

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

Episode 143 | Recorded: Monday, June 20, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220619.html

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Armenian News: Yerevan Protests Grow | Artsakh Negotiations | New MPG Poll | Ep #141 - Jun 5, 2022 [EP141]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 7, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European Union | Series: wir

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 5, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 02:52 Yerevan Protests Continue
  • 24:30 State of Negotiations on Artsakh
  • 42:27 MPG Gallup Poll Results
  • 44:14 Rants

Guests:

Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos

Host:

Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq Episode 141 | Recorded: Monday, June 6, 2022

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

Pashinyan press conference | Kocharyan press conference | EVN Mayor Saga | Ep #110 - Dec 26, 2021 [EP110]

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, USA, Artsakh, Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Economy, India, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 26, 2021

Topics:

  • Nikol Pashinyan holds a press conference
  • Robert Kocharyan holds a press conference
  • The Yerevan Mayor Saga

Guests:

  • Tevan Poghosyan TW/@ TevanPoghosyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

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

Episode 110 | Recorded: Sunday, December 27, 2021

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211226.html

Zoom for Democracy | Domestic & Regional Politics | Artsakh Republic at 30 | Ep #106 - Dec 12, 2021 [EP106]

Posted on Monday, Dec 13, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, Georgia, China, Israel, Syria, Genocide, Human Rights, Economy, Armenian Genocide, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, NATO, Lebanon, Middle East | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 12, 2021

Topics:

  • Zoom for Democracy
  • Domestic Politics
  • Regional Politics
  • Artsakh Independence at 30
  • Analyst Rants

Guests:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@benyamin_poghos
  • Pietro Shakarian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

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

Episode 106 | Recorded: Sunday, December 12, 2021

“Positive Messages” | Street Rallies | Election Setbacks | Siradeghyan Dies | Ep #94 - Oct 24, 2021 [EP94]

Posted on Monday, Oct 25, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Artsakh, Iran, Human Rights, Georgia, Turkey, China, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 24, 2021

Topics:

  • Yerevan’s “Positive Messages”
  • Opposition Going Back to Street Rallies?
  • Ruling Party Setbacks in Local Elections
  • Vano Siradeghyan Dies

Guests:

  • Tevan Poghosyan TW/@TevanPoghosyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

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

Episode 94 | Recorded: October 25, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211024.html

One-year anniversary of Artsakh War | Can the Opposition Reorg | TARC 2.0 | Ep 90 - Sep 26, 2021 [EP90]

Posted on Sunday, Sep 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, Genocide, Economy, China, Syria | Series: wir

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:

  • The One-year anniversary of The War in Artsakh
  • Can the Opposition Reorganize?
  • Turkish-Armenian Possible Rapprochement

Episode 90 | Recorded: September 27, 2021