Suren Papikyan
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Suren Papikyan has served as Armenia’s Minister of Defense since 2021, taking over the role in the aftermath of the 44-Day War and the political turbulence that followed. He is a senior Civil Contract figure responsible for Armenia’s military restructuring, defense procurement, and the management of Armenia’s security relationships with Russia, France, India, and other partners.
Groong episodes covering Papikyan address Armenia’s post-war military reform efforts, defense spending and procurement decisions, Armenia’s exit from joint CSTO exercises, and the government’s approach to building alternative security partnerships as relations with Russia deteriorated.
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 | 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, PoliticsGroong 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, 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.
Dziunik Aghajanian - Iran War Fears, June Vote Rules, State-Church Clash | Ep 519, Feb 22, 2026 [EP519]
Posted on Thursday, Feb 26, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Israel, Genocide | Series: wir, video
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Iran War Fears
- June Parliamentary Elections
- Attacks on the Armenian Church
Episode 519 | Recorded: February 25, 2026
#Armenia #Iran #ArmeniaElections #ArmenianChurch #SouthCaucasus
Dziunik Aghajanian - Iran War Fears, June Vote Rules, State-Church Clash | Ep 519, Feb 22, 2026 [EP519]
Posted on Thursday, Feb 26, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Israel, GenocideGroong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Iran War Fears
- June Parliamentary Elections
- Attacks on the Armenian Church
Episode 519 | Recorded: February 25, 2026
#Armenia #Iran #ArmeniaElections #ArmenianChurch #SouthCaucasus
Asbed & Hovik - Iran, Varchaband, War on Church, Mehmet Oz, Strong Armenia, Noragyugh | Ep 512, Feb 1, 2026 [EP512]
Posted on Tuesday, Feb 3, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan, Armenian Church | Series: wir, video
Groong Links:
Topics:
- Iran Conflict
- Varchaband
- War on Armenian Church
- Mehmet Oz vs Armenian Americans
- Narek Karapetyan and Strong Armenia
- A Big Beautiful Noragyugh
Episode 512 | Recorded: February 2, 2026
#IranIsraelWar #TrumpArmada #ArmenianChurch #Pashinyan #ArmenianDiaspora
Asbed & Hovik - Iran, Varchaband, War on Church, Mehmet Oz, Strong Armenia, Noragyugh | Ep 512, Feb 1, 2026 [EP512]
Posted on Tuesday, Feb 3, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan, Armenian ChurchGroong Links:
Topics:
- Iran Conflict
- Varchaband
- War on Armenian Church
- Mehmet Oz vs Armenian Americans
- Narek Karapetyan and Strong Armenia
- A Big Beautiful Noragyugh
Episode 512 | Recorded: February 2, 2026
#IranIsraelWar #TrumpArmada #ArmenianChurch #Pashinyan #ArmenianDiaspora
Էդգար Ղազարյան – Խոսքի ազատության գործը և մամուլի վիճակը Հայաստանում | Ep 440, May 28, 2025 [EP440]
Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, In Armenian, | Series: cog, video
INTERVIEW IN ARMENIAN / ՀԱՐՑԱԶՐՈՒՅՑ ՀԱՅԵՐԵՆ
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Criminal charges used to silence Edgar Ghazaryan / Քրեական մեղադրանքներ՝ Էդգար Ղազարյանին լռեցնելու համար
- Media freedom in Armenia under Pashinyan’s rule / Մամուլի ազատությունը Հայաստանում Փաշինյանի կառավարման օրոք
- Public broadcasting under political control / Հանրային հեռարձակումը քաղաքական վերահսկողության տակ
- State-aligned actors spreading misinformation / Ապատեղեկատվություն տարածող պետական կողմի դերակատարները
Episode 440 | Recorded: March 9, 2025
Read MoreԷդգար Ղազարյան – Խոսքի ազատության գործը և մամուլի վիճակը Հայաստանում | Ep 440, May 28, 2025 [EP440]
Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, In Armenian,INTERVIEW IN ARMENIAN / ՀԱՐՑԱԶՐՈՒՅՑ ՀԱՅԵՐԵՆ
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Criminal charges used to silence Edgar Ghazaryan / Քրեական մեղադրանքներ՝ Էդգար Ղազարյանին լռեցնելու համար
- Media freedom in Armenia under Pashinyan’s rule / Մամուլի ազատությունը Հայաստանում Փաշինյանի կառավարման օրոք
- Public broadcasting under political control / Հանրային հեռարձակումը քաղաքական վերահսկողության տակ
- State-aligned actors spreading misinformation / Ապատեղեկատվություն տարածող պետական կողմի դերակատարները
Episode 440 | Recorded: March 9, 2025
Read More