Ruben Rubinyan

Ruben Rubinyan is Speaker of the National Assembly and serves as Armenia’s special envoy in Turkish-Armenian normalization talks, leading negotiations with Turkey’s representative Serdar Kılıç. The two sides have held multiple rounds of discussions since 2021 on reopening the Turkish-Armenian border, which has been closed since 1993. Turkey has conditioned normalization on progress in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Process, giving Ankara effective leverage over both diplomatic tracks simultaneously and making Rubinyan’s role inseparable from the broader regional settlement.

Opposition figures and analysts have questioned what Armenia can realistically extract from talks given Turkey’s preconditions and its alignment with Azerbaijan. Episodes have examined Rubinyan’s rosy public projections — including a 2022 prediction that the border could reopen “as early as this summer” — against the actual pace of negotiations, which have produced no concrete result. Arthur Khachatryan and others have argued that Rubinyan’s framing obscures the extent to which progress depends on Baku’s permission rather than bilateral Armenian-Turkish will. As Civil Contract faces the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election, Rubinyan’s empty-handed negotiating record with Turkey is among the specific failures the opposition has raised.

Hovik & Asbed - Karekin II & Ilia II Funeral, Iran War, Armenia Elections | Ep 527, Mar 22, 2026 [EP527]

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Politics, Israel, USA, Turkey, Russia, China, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Economy, Lebanon | Series: cog, video

Groong Links:

Topics:

Georgian Patriarch Ilia II passes away
Karekin II travel banned from funeral
Iran war update
June election in Armenia

Episode 527 | Recorded: March 23, 2026

#Groong #Armenia

44-Day War, A Tale of Betrayal | Ep 476, Sep 28, 2025 [EP476]

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Genocide, NATO, Ukraine, Georgia, Iran, China | Series: wir, video

Groong Links:

Topics:

Pashinyan’s rise and Western backing
Breakdown of talks and secret meetings
Failures and propaganda during the war
Aftermath, revisionism, and political responsibility

Episode 476 | Recorded: September 28, 2025

Arthur Khachatryan - September 13 War, Kiliç in Armenia, US $145M for TRIPP, Shorter Military Service | Ep 472, Sep 14, 2025 [EP472]

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Economy, Russia, Georgia, Iran, China | Series: cog

Groong Links:

Guest:

Arthur Khachatryan, MP

Topics:

September 13, 2022 War anniversary
Serdar KiliÃ§ in Armenia for Normalization
U.S. State Dept. $145M for TRIPP

Episode 472 | Recorded: September 15, 2025

Yeghia Tashjian - Iran’s Geopolitical Moves, Armenia Azerbaijan Talks, Stalled Normalization | Ep 353 - Aug 11, 2024 [EP353]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2024 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Middle East, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Lebanon, Russia, USA, Armenian Genocide, European Union, Turkey, Georgia, China, Genocide, Ukraine | Series: wir

Groong Links:

Guest:

Yeghia Tashjian

Topics:

Iranâs Geopolitical Moves
Armenia Azerbaijan Talks
Stalled âNormalizationâ

Episode 353 | Recorded: August 12, 2024

Arthur G Martirosyan - Next POTUS | Turkish-Armenian Talks | US-Armenian Defense Coop | Armenia Azerbaijan Talks | Ep 347 - July 28, 2024 [EP348]

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Turkey, USA, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Middle East, European Union, Human Rights, Lebanon, NATO, Syria, China, Genocide, Iran, India | Series: wir

Groong Links:

Guest:

Arthur G. Martirosyan

Topics:

Who Will be the Next Leader of the US?
Turkish-Armenian Talks
US-Armenian Defense Coop
Armenia Azerbaijan Talks

Episode 348 | Recorded: July 30, 2024

Transcript: In the South Caucasus, “The West“ means Turkey

Posted on Friday, Mar 8, 2024 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Clip, Transcript | Series: Blog

The dialogue at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum illuminates a critical facet of EU’s geopolitical calculus: when they speak of “The West” in the context of the South Caucasus, they implicitly refer to Turkey. We dissect Armenia’s diplomatic challenges, laying bare the stark realities of power dynamics in the region. Against the backdrop of Turkey’s strategic significance, the debate underscores the profound implications of EU’s reliance on Ankara to assert its dominance and open communication channels in the region. We shed light on the urgent need for Armenia to navigate a complex geopolitical landscape where alliances and allegiances are constantly shifting.

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria | Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict | Lavrov Interview | EU and CSTO Missions | Shifting Public Perceptions | Yerevan Political Shuffle | Ep 224 - Feb 12, 2023 [EP224]

Posted on Sunday, Feb 12, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Poll, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, Russia, Iran, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, Ukraine, China, India, Geopolitics, Genocide, Georgia, Israel, Lebanon | Series: wir

Guest:

Benyamin Poghosyan

Topic:

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict
- FM Lavrovâs Interview to Russian Media
- EU vs CSTO Missions
- Shifting Public Perceptions
Political Shuffles in Yerevan

Episode 224 | Recorded: February 12, 2023