Serzh Sargsyan
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Serzh Sargsyan served as President of Armenia from 2008 to 2018 and as Prime Minister and Defense Minister before that. His attempt in April 2018 to remain in power by transitioning to a newly empowered prime ministerial role triggered the mass street protests that brought Nikol Pashinyan to power — events whose proponents called the Velvet Revolution, but which a significant portion of Armenian political opinion views as a color revolution or regime change operation rather than a spontaneous popular uprising.
Sargsyan leads the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), which governed the country for much of the post-Soviet period. Groong episodes covering Sargsyan examine his political legacy, the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war’s relationship to decisions made during his presidency, his continued role in opposition politics, and the RPA’s position in the evolving landscape ahead of the June 2026 elections .
Groong episodes that include this tag
Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Serzh Sargsyan.
Spotlight on Silence: Selective Justice in Armenia’s Election Campaign | Ep 555, Jun 6, 2026 [EP555]
Posted on Saturday, Jun 6, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights | Series: sos, video
Groong Links:
Guest(s):
Topics:
- Selective law enforcement before elections
- Wiretaps, leaks, and campaign pressure
- Hate speech laws against critics
- Official threats without consequences
- Military summons as political coercion
Episode 555 | Recorded: June 4, 2026
#Armenia #ArmenianElections #HumanRights #PoliticalPersecution #Artsakh #RafaelIshkhanyan #Groong
Spotlight on Silence: Selective Justice in Armenia’s Election Campaign | Ep 555, Jun 6, 2026 [EP555]
Posted on Saturday, Jun 6, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Human RightsGroong Links:
Guest(s):
Topics:
- Selective law enforcement before elections
- Wiretaps, leaks, and campaign pressure
- Hate speech laws against critics
- Official threats without consequences
- Military summons as political coercion
Episode 555 | Recorded: June 4, 2026
#Armenia #ArmenianElections #HumanRights #PoliticalPersecution #Artsakh #RafaelIshkhanyan #Groong
Transcript: Spotlight on Silence: Selective Justice in Armenia’s Election Campaign | Ep 555, Jun 6, 2026 [EP555]
Posted on Saturday, Jun 6, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, TranscriptIn this Spotlight on Silence episode, we speak with Rafael Ishkhanyan of the Armenian Center for Political Rights about selective justice and state pressure ahead of the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election. We discuss wiretaps and leaks targeting opposition figures, abuse of hate speech laws against government critics, military service summons used as political coercion, and Pashinyan’s threats against political opponents and Artsakh Armenians.
Arman Grigoryan - Revolutionary Recklessness: Armenia After the War | Ep 546, May 15, 2026 [EP546]
Posted on Friday, May 15, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, Russia, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Ukraine, NATO | Series: cog
Groong Links:
Guest(s):
Topics:
- Revolutionary recklessness after 2020
- Armenia’s pivot away from Russia
- Artsakh’s surrender and strategic reorientation
- TRIPP, Syunik, and security guarantees
- Western backing, Armenian risk
Episode 546 | Recorded: May 13, 2026
#ArmanGrigoryan #Armenia #Russia #Pashinyan #Artsakh #TRIPP #SouthCaucasus #Geopolitics
Arman Grigoryan - Revolutionary Recklessness: Armenia After the War | Ep 546, May 15, 2026 [EP546]
Posted on Friday, May 15, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, Russia, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Ukraine, NATOGroong Links:
Guest(s):
Topics:
- Revolutionary recklessness after 2020
- Armenia’s pivot away from Russia
- Artsakh’s surrender and strategic reorientation
- TRIPP, Syunik, and security guarantees
- Western backing, Armenian risk
Episode 546 | Recorded: May 13, 2026
#ArmanGrigoryan #Armenia #Russia #Pashinyan #Artsakh #TRIPP #SouthCaucasus #Geopolitics
Transcript: Arman Grigoryan - Revolutionary Recklessness: Armenia After the War | Ep 546, May 15, 2026 [EP546]
Posted on Friday, May 15, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, Russia, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Ukraine, NATO, TranscriptDr. Arman Grigoryan joins Groong to discuss Armenia’s post-2020 foreign policy and his argument that Pashinyan’s government has replaced one failed project, maximalist claims over Artsakh, with another: a risky strategic pivot away from Russia and toward the West. The conversation examines “revolutionary recklessness,” the roots of the 2020 war, Armenia’s worsening ties with Russia, the surrender of Artsakh, TRIPP and Syunik, Western encouragement, and the absence of firm security guarantees. Grigoryan also considers whether Armenia is gaining real sovereignty or exposing itself to greater pressure from Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Russia.
Week in Review - EPC in Armenia, Russia, Parliamentary Election, Swiss Peace Initiative | Ep 545, May 10, 2026 [EP545]
Posted on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, NATO, European Union, Human Rights | Series: wir
Groong Links:
Topics:
- EPC fallout and Russia response
- Armenia-EU declaration controversies
- Pashinyan’s Artsakh campaign narrative
- Aliyev-Pashinyan tag-team messaging
- Swiss Peace Initiative
- Pollsters diverge on election forecasts
Episode 545 | Recorded: May 12, 2026
#WeekInReview #Armenia #SwissPeaceInitiative #NagornoKarabakh #Artsakh
Week in Review - EPC in Armenia, Russia, Parliamentary Election, Swiss Peace Initiative | Ep 545, May 10, 2026 [EP545]
Posted on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, NATO, European Union, Human RightsGroong Links:
Topics:
- EPC fallout and Russia response
- Armenia-EU declaration controversies
- Pashinyan’s Artsakh campaign narrative
- Aliyev-Pashinyan tag-team messaging
- Swiss Peace Initiative
- Pollsters diverge on election forecasts
Episode 545 | Recorded: May 12, 2026
#WeekInReview #Armenia #SwissPeaceInitiative #NagornoKarabakh #Artsakh
Transcript: Week in Review - EPC in Armenia, Russia, Parliamentary Election, Swiss Peace Initiative | Ep 545, May 10, 2026 [EP545]
Posted on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, NATO, European Union, Human Rights, TranscriptIn this Week in Review, Asbed and Hovik discuss the fallout from the EPC summit in Yerevan, Armenia’s role as a platform for anti-Russian messaging, and Putin’s warning about a possible “separation” if Armenia moves toward the EU. They examine the Armenia-EU declaration, focusing on TRIPP, Ukraine, hybrid threats, security cooperation, visa liberalization, and the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. The episode then turns to Armenia’s election campaign, Pashinyan’s claim that Artsakh was “never ours,” Aliyev’s parallel messaging from occupied Artsakh, pressure on opposition figures, the Swiss Peace Initiative, and sharp divergence between election polls.