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.

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 27, 2021 Topics:

  • Armenian Elections Recap
  • Protests in Artsakh

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian
  • Emil Sanamyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 76 | Recorded: June 27, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210627.html

Aleksandr Khachaturyan on the 2021 Armenian Elections

Guest:

Aleksandr Khachaturyan who is a Managing Partner at TK & Partners, in Yerevan. In 2016 he served as an advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Karen Karapetyan, and was CEO of the Center for Strategic Initiatives, advising the government on key economic and public administration reforms and strategies. He serves as a board member at ID Bank and various non-profits, and lectures on corporate finance law at the French University of Armenia (FUA). He holds law degrees from Boston University, FUA, and Jean Moulin

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ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 13, 2021 Topics:

  • Meltdown at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Philip Reeker’s Visit to the Region
  • 15 POWs Return Home
  • Latest Election Poll Results

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Tevan Poghosyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 70 | Recorded: June 13, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210613.html

ARF-Dashnaktsutyun: Roadmap and Challenges

Guest

  • Giro Manoyan has been a member of the ARF-D Bureau since 2015. Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, he moved to Montreal, Canada in 1976. He has served as the Executive Secretary of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, as well as the Editor in Chief of the Horizon Armenian Weekly. In 1999 he moved to Yerevan and has served as the Executive Director of the Bureau of the ARF-D, in charge of the Armenian Cause, Hai Tahd Central Committee.

Topics

  • The ARF in the Politics of Armenia
  • On the War in 2020
  • On the Upcoming Elections in 2021
  • On the
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Guest(s):

Iran: Foreign Relations and Upcoming Elections A Conversation with Robert Markarian

The South Caucasus comprises Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The three regional powers surrounding them are Russia to the north, Turkey to the west, and Iran in the south.

Iran has been largely quiet about events on its northern border with Armenia and Azerbaijan, due largely to its marginalization on the world stage because of the Western economic sanctions but also because Iran is home to millions of ethnic Azeris and any perceived support for Armenia could result in additional

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ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 6, 2021

Topics:

  • Kocharyan Closes in on Pashinyan in Election Polls
  • Pashinyan Visits Europe

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Emil Sanamyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210606.html

Episode 66 | Recorded: June 6, 2021

ANN/Groong Week in Review - May 30, 2021 Topics:

  • Continued Tensions on the Eastern Border
  • Latest IRI and MPG Polls on the Armenian Elections
  • Election Politics

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian
  • George Tabakyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 65 | Recorded: May 30, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210530.html

ANN/Groong Week in Review - May 16, 2021 Topics:

  • Azerbaijan’s Incursion into Syunik
  • Lavrov’s Visit to Yerevan and Baku
  • Electoral Politics

Guests:

  • Tatul Hakobyan
  • Emil Sanamyan
  • Artyom Tonoyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan @HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian @qubriq

Episode 60 | Recorded: May 2, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210516.html

Guest(s):

ANN/Groong Week in Review - April 4, 2021

Topics:

  • Kocharyan’s Prosecutors Won’t Go Away
  • Snap Electoral Reforms
  • New Gallup poll
  • What’s Going on in Ukraine?

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Emil Sanamyan

Hosts

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210404.html Episode 56 | Recorded: April 4, 2021