Last updated: May 29, 2026
Samvel Karapetyan is an Armenian businessman and the chairman of the Strong Armenia Alliance, which registered to compete in Armenia’s June 7, 2026 parliamentary elections. MPG polling consistently placed Strong Armenia in second place behind Civil Contract, making Karapetyan one of the most visible opposition figures in the pre-election period.
Groong has followed his emergence as a political actor, his party’s platform on Artsakh, the peace process with Azerbaijan, and foreign policy orientation, as well as the question of whether Strong Armenia can attract enough opposition voters to become a meaningful check on Civil Contract’s parliamentary dominance.
Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Samvel Karapetyan.
This Conversations on Groong episode with Mikael Darbinian examines Armenia’s security crisis through the lens of the Strong Armenia doctrine. The discussion focuses on deterrence, diplomacy from a position of strength, Azerbaijani positions inside Armenia’s sovereign territory, the risks around TRIPP and the Zangezur Corridor, the rights of Artsakh Armenians, regional war scenarios involving Iran, and the gap between international political theater and Armenia’s unresolved national security threats.
Episode 539 | Recorded: May 3, 2026
#Armenia #Azerbaijan #IranWar #TRIPP #Artsakh #Stepanakert #ArmenianElections #Groong
Episode 539 | Recorded: May 3, 2026
#Armenia #Azerbaijan #IranWar #TRIPP #Artsakh #Stepanakert #ArmenianElections #Groong
This Groong Week in Review covers Trump’s Iran ceasefire, failed US-Iran talks in Islamabad, the naval blockade, and Washington’s war politics. Asbed and Hovik also examine “Operation Kochari,” Shahin Mustafayev’s secret visit to Armenia, TRIPP, border demarcation, Armenia-Azerbaijan trade, Azerbaijan’s destruction of the Stepanakert cathedral, Pashinyan’s response, the MPG poll, opposition coalition math, election fraud risks, the EPC meeting, legal pressure, mass surveillance, and Armenia’s falling press freedom ranking.
Episode 537 | Recorded: April 27, 2026
#Armenia #Artsakh #StrongArmenia #AregaHovsepyan #ArmenianPolitics #SouthCaucasus #TRIPP #ZangezurCorridor #Geopolitics
Episode 537 | Recorded: April 27, 2026
#Armenia #Artsakh #StrongArmenia #AregaHovsepyan #ArmenianPolitics #SouthCaucasus #TRIPP #ZangezurCorridor #Geopolitics
In this Conversations on Groong episode, we speak with Arega Hovsepyan of the Strong Armenia party about Armenia’s upcoming June 2026 parliamentary elections and the broader political climate. The discussion focuses on recent arrests targeting opposition figures, the situation of displaced Artsakh Armenians, competing narratives around “peace” with Azerbaijan, and the implications of the TRIPP or Zangezur Corridor project. We also examine opposition unity, polling trends, and legal questions surrounding Strong Armenia’s political strategy.
Episode 535 | Recorded: April 24, 2026
#Armenia #ArmenianElections #Election2026 #IODA #OSCE #ODIHR #Geopolitics #Democracy
Episode 535 | Recorded: April 24, 2026
#Armenia #ArmenianElections #Election2026 #IODA #OSCE #ODIHR #Geopolitics #Democracy
Dr. Philippe Raffi Kalfayan joined Groong to discuss the International Observatory for Democracy in Armenia (IODA), its work ahead of Armenia’s June 7, 2026 parliamentary elections, and the risks it sees in the pre-election environment. The conversation covered IODA’s mission, its first fact-finding trip to Armenia, concerns about judicial control and administrative resources, questions about OSCE/ODIHR and EU impartiality, and the pressure facing opposition figures and parties before election day.
Episode 532 | Recorded: April 20, 2026
#Armenia #Iran #IranWar #Hormuz #ArmeniaElections #SouthCaucasus
Episode 532 | Recorded: April 20, 2026
#Armenia #Iran #IranWar #Hormuz #ArmeniaElections #SouthCaucasus
In this Week in Review episode, Ambassador Dziunik Aghajanian discusses the stalled Iran negotiations after the Islamabad talks, the renewed pressure around Hormuz and the naval blockade, Turkey’s posture toward Israel and the region; Armenia’s lower-profile participation in the Antalya Diplomatic Forum; Russia’s shifting rhetoric on TRIPP and the South Caucasus; and the June 7 parliamentary election in Armenia, including constitutional changes, border concessions, the gas pipeline rerouting issue, and the use of surveillance and arrests against opposition figures.
Episode 531 | Recorded: April 14, 2026
#Armenia #IranWar #ArmenianPolitics #HungaryElections #ArmeniaPolls
Episode 531 | Recorded: April 14, 2026
#Armenia #IranWar #ArmenianPolitics #HungaryElections #ArmeniaPolls
This Week in Review examines how foreign shocks and internal political pressures are converging for Armenia. We look at the breakdown of US-Iran talks and the threat of a new naval blockade, Viktor Orban’s defeat in Hungary and what it may mean for the region, and fresh polling in Armenia on security, war, free speech, voter participation, and party support ahead of the 2026 elections. The episode also explores whether the Abkhaz railway could offer Armenia a real alternative to routes that deepen dependence on Azerbaijan and Turkey, and what the latest polling says about the opposition’s position.
Episode 530 | Recorded: April 7, 2026
#Groong #Armenia
Episode 530 | Recorded: April 7, 2026
#Groong #Armenia
In this Week in Review, Hovik and Asbed discussed the escalating US-Israeli war on Iran and the danger of a wider regional catastrophe; we reflected on the tenth anniversary of the April 2016 Four-Day War and what it revealed about Armenia’s military and diplomatic posture; we examined the fallout from Pashinyan’s Moscow visit and the increasingly blunt Russian response, and reviewed the fast-moving Armenian election campaign, including pressure on the opposition, EU involvement, and the emerging strategies of major the various alliances.
Episode 527 | Recorded: March 23, 2026
#Groong #Armenia
Episode 527 | Recorded: March 23, 2026
#Groong #Armenia
Episode 521 | Recorded: March 10, 2026
#IranWar #EpicFury #MiddleEastWar #ArmeniaForeignPolicy #Sumgait1988 #IranIsraelConflict
Episode 521 | Recorded: March 10, 2026
#IranWar #EpicFury #MiddleEastWar #ArmeniaForeignPolicy #Sumgait1988 #IranIsraelConflict
Episode 519 | Recorded: February 25, 2026
#Armenia #Iran #ArmeniaElections #ArmenianChurch #SouthCaucasus
Episode 519 | Recorded: February 25, 2026
#Armenia #Iran #ArmeniaElections #ArmenianChurch #SouthCaucasus
Episode 513 | Recorded: February 3, 2026
#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #IRFSummit2026 #ChristianSolidarityInternational
Episode 513 | Recorded: February 3, 2026
#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #IRFSummit2026 #ChristianSolidarityInternational
Episode 512 | Recorded: February 2, 2026
#IranIsraelWar #TrumpArmada #ArmenianChurch #Pashinyan #ArmenianDiaspora
Episode 512 | Recorded: February 2, 2026
#IranIsraelWar #TrumpArmada #ArmenianChurch #Pashinyan #ArmenianDiaspora
Episode 507 | Recorded: January 16, 2026
#AnnaGrigoryan #Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #TRIPP #ArmenianChurch #POWs
Episode 507 | Recorded: January 16, 2026
#AnnaGrigoryan #Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #TRIPP #ArmenianChurch #POWs
Episode 504 | Recorded: January 12, 2026
#Armenia #ArmenianChurch #Etchmiadzin #HumanRights #ReligiousFreedom
Episode 504 | Recorded: January 12, 2026
#Armenia #ArmenianChurch #Etchmiadzin #HumanRights #ReligiousFreedom
Episode 502 | Recorded: January 8, 2026
#FyodorLukyanov #RussiaGeopolitics #UkraineWar #IranIsrael #VenezuelaCrisis #TRIPP
Episode 502 | Recorded: January 8, 2026
#FyodorLukyanov #RussiaGeopolitics #UkraineWar #IranIsrael #VenezuelaCrisis #TRIPP
Fyodor Lukyanov joins Groong to discuss how Moscow reads a fast-shifting global landscape, from the U.S. raid in Venezuela and maritime seizures at sea, to Trump’s Greenland rhetoric, the stalled endgame in Ukraine, the likelihood of a renewed Israel-Iran war, and how TRIPP and “unblocking” disputes in Armenia’s south fit into Russia’s regional priorities.
Episode 501 | Recorded: January 6, 2026
#VenezuelaCrisis #ArmenianChurch #MPGPoll #ArmeniaEconomy #Geopolitics
Episode 501 | Recorded: January 6, 2026
#VenezuelaCrisis #ArmenianChurch #MPGPoll #ArmeniaEconomy #Geopolitics
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Episode 497 | Recorded: December 14, 2025
#SpotlightOnSilence #ArmeniaJustice #PoliticalPrisoners #FreedomOfSpeech #RuleOfLaw #HumanRights #Groong
Read MoreFollow ACPR on Facebook: Քաղաքական իրավունքների հայկական կենտրոն - ՔԻՀԿ / ACPR
Episode 497 | Recorded: December 14, 2025
#SpotlightOnSilence #ArmeniaJustice #PoliticalPrisoners #FreedomOfSpeech #RuleOfLaw #HumanRights #Groong
Read MoreEpisode 496 | Recorded: December 15, 2025
#ArmeniaPolitics #EUvsRussia #ArmenianChurch #Artsakh #Geopolitics
Episode 496 | Recorded: December 15, 2025
#ArmeniaPolitics #EUvsRussia #ArmenianChurch #Artsakh #Geopolitics
Episode 490 | Recorded: November 25, 2025
#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #ChristianSolidarityInternational #HumanRightsInArmenia
Episode 490 | Recorded: November 25, 2025
#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #ChristianSolidarityInternational #HumanRightsInArmenia
Episode 489 | Recorded: November 23, 2025
Episode 489 | Recorded: November 23, 2025
Episode 488 | Recorded: November 24, 2025
Episode 488 | Recorded: November 24, 2025
Episode 481 | Recorded: October 29, 2025
Episode 481 | Recorded: October 29, 2025
Episode 479 | Recorded: October 20, 2025
Episode 479 | Recorded: October 20, 2025
Episode 478 | Recorded: October 14, 2025
Episode 478 | Recorded: October 14, 2025
Episode 477 | Recorded: October 6, 2025
Episode 477 | Recorded: October 6, 2025
Episode 474 | Recorded: September 22, 2025
Episode 474 | Recorded: September 22, 2025
Episode 473 | Recorded on September 17, 2025
Episode 473 | Recorded on September 17, 2025