Last updated: May 29, 2026
Tavush is Armenia’s northeastern province, bordering Georgia and Azerbaijan. In early 2024 it became the center of a major political crisis when the Pashinyan government announced a border delimitation agreement transferring several villages in the Tavush region to Azerbaijan. The government argued the transfers were necessary for progress toward a peace agreement; critics argued they were unilateral concessions with no reciprocal benefit to Armenia.
The Tavush delimitation sparked the Srbazan Movement, a protest campaign led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which drew tens of thousands of demonstrators to Yerevan and provincial cities in the spring and summer of 2024. The movement was the largest sustained opposition mobilization since Pashinyan came to power in 2018, and it ended when the Archbishop stood down amid what supporters characterized as a crackdown. Several movement leaders, including Galstanyan himself, were subsequently arrested.
Groong covered the Tavush delimitation and the Srbazan Movement extensively, tracking the protest escalation, the government’s response, the legal challenges to the border transfers, and the arrests of movement figures. Episodes in this category address the territorial implications, the political dynamics, and what the crisis revealed about the state of Armenian democratic institutions.
Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Tavush.
Episode 568 | Recorded: July 20, 2026
#IranWar #TRIPP #Teghut #Armenia #PoliticalPrisoners #ArmenianPOWs #KonstantinSokolov
Episode 568 | Recorded: July 20, 2026
#IranWar #TRIPP #Teghut #Armenia #PoliticalPrisoners #ArmenianPOWs #KonstantinSokolov
In this week’s Groong Week in Review, Hovik and Asbed break down escalating tensions across the Middle East as the US-Iran war intensifies following the collapse of the June ceasefire. We examine the strategic implications for Armenia and the South Caucasus, the role of TRIPP advocates like Konstantin Sokolov, and how regional instability intersects with Pashinyan’s political vulnerabilities at home, including charges against Archbishop Galstanyan and ongoing Armenian POW cases.
Episode 567 | Recorded: July 13, 2026
#ArmenianNews #NATOSummit #IranWar #TRIPP #ArmeniaAzerbaijan #ArmenianParliament #GareginII #OSCE
Episode 567 | Recorded: July 13, 2026
#ArmenianNews #NATOSummit #IranWar #TRIPP #ArmeniaAzerbaijan #ArmenianParliament #GareginII #OSCE
In this Groong Week in Review episode, Hovik and Asbed cover the 36th NATO summit in Ankara, escalating Iran war developments, and Armenia’s removal of murals honoring fallen soldiers. We discuss NATO’s defense spending surge, Trump’s shift on Turkey and F-35 access, Ukraine aid commitments, and what these geopolitical shifts mean for Armenia and the South Caucasus amid ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiations.
Episode 555 | Recorded: June 4, 2026
#Armenia #ArmenianElections #HumanRights #PoliticalPersecution #Artsakh #RafaelIshkhanyan #Groong
Episode 555 | Recorded: June 4, 2026
#Armenia #ArmenianElections #HumanRights #PoliticalPersecution #Artsakh #RafaelIshkhanyan #Groong
In 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.
Episode 553 | Recorded: June 1, 2026
#Armenia #May28 #MarcoRubio #TRIPP #Syunik #CriticalMinerals #ElectionFraud #RussiaArmenia
Episode 553 | Recorded: June 1, 2026
#Armenia #May28 #MarcoRubio #TRIPP #Syunik #CriticalMinerals #ElectionFraud #RussiaArmenia
In this episode of Groong’s Week in Review, hosts Hovik and Asbed examine Armenia’s May 28 Independence Day parade as campaign theater, Marco Rubio’s push for critical minerals deals, and the strategic risks of TRIPP in Syunik. We discuss how Pashinyan’s military parade coincides with Armenian prisoners of war held hostage in Baku, the questionable financing of weapons through $8 billion in external debt, and the broader geopolitical pressures from Russia and Iran as Armenia heads into the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election.
Episode 548 | Recorded: May 22, 2026
#Armenia #ArmenianElections #ArmenianPolitics #Artsakh #SouthCaucasus #CivilContract #StrongArmenia #HayastanDashinq
Episode 548 | Recorded: May 22, 2026
#Armenia #ArmenianElections #ArmenianPolitics #Artsakh #SouthCaucasus #CivilContract #StrongArmenia #HayastanDashinq
This Conversations on Groong episode provides a primer on Armenia’s June 7, 2026 parliamentary elections, reviewing the 17 parties and 2 alliances registered to compete. The discussion explains the election rules, thresholds, coalition process, and the “stable majority” mechanism, while stressing the uneven political environment facing opposition forces. The episode then walks through each participant, including Civil Contract, Strong Armenia, Armenia Alliance, Prosperous Armenia, Wings of Unity, Bright Armenia, ANC, Bever, Republic, DOK, Democratic Consolidation, and smaller parties with Read More
Episode 543 | Recorded: May 7, 2026
#Armenia #ArmenianElections #EU #Disinformation #FactChecking #Censorship #CivilSociety #FreeSpeech
Episode 543 | Recorded: May 7, 2026
#Armenia #ArmenianElections #EU #Disinformation #FactChecking #Censorship #CivilSociety #FreeSpeech
Hovhannes Ishkhanyan and Nare Navasardyan discuss the growing role of the EU, fact-checking networks, and counter-disinformation programs in Armenia’s 2026 election environment. The conversation examines claims of foreign interference, the use of “hybrid threats” and “disinformation” labels against domestic dissent, and the political bias of Armenia’s fact-checking ecosystem. The guests also share personal experiences with lawsuits, public confrontation, protest, and censorship, raising broader questions about free speech, election fairness, and the management of Armenia’s information space.
Episode 524 | Recorded: March 19, 2026
#IranWar #VaruzhanGeghamyan #ZangezurCorridor #Syunik #ArmeniaGeopolitics
Episode 524 | Recorded: March 19, 2026
#IranWar #VaruzhanGeghamyan #ZangezurCorridor #Syunik #ArmeniaGeopolitics
Episode 493 | Recorded: December 2, 2025
Episode 493 | Recorded: December 2, 2025
Episode 481 | Recorded: October 29, 2025
Episode 481 | Recorded: October 29, 2025
Episode 476 | Recorded: September 28, 2025
Episode 476 | Recorded: September 28, 2025
Episode 455 | Recorded: July 25, 2025
Episode 455 | Recorded: July 25, 2025
Episode 428 | Recorded: April 14, 2025
Episode 428 | Recorded: April 14, 2025
Episode 408 | Recorded: January 29, 2025
Episode 408 | Recorded: January 29, 2025
Episode 379 | Recorded: October 29, 2024
Episode 379 | Recorded: October 29, 2024
Episode 371 | Recorded: September 30, 2024
Episode 371 | Recorded: September 30, 2024
Episode 365 | Recorded: Sep. 17, 2024
Episode 365 | Recorded: Sep. 17, 2024
Episode 364 | Recorded: September 13, 2024
Episode 364 | Recorded: September 13, 2024
Episode 355 | Recorded: August 19, 2024
Episode 355 | Recorded: August 19, 2024
Episode 352a | Recorded: August 12, 2024
Episode 352a | Recorded: August 12, 2024
Episode 351 | Recorded: August 6, 2024
Episode 351 | Recorded: August 6, 2024
Episode 349 | Recorded: July 31, 2024
Episode 349 | Recorded: July 31, 2024
Episode 347 | Recorded: July 22, 2024
Episode 347 | Recorded: July 22, 2024
Episode 346 | Recorded: July 18, 2024
Episode 346 | Recorded: July 18, 2024
Episode 342 | Recorded: July 8, 2024
Episode 342 | Recorded: July 8, 2024
Episode 340 | Recorded: June 21, 2024
Episode 340 | Recorded: June 21, 2024
Episode 339 | Recorded: June 23, 2024
Episode 339 | Recorded: June 23, 2024
Episode 337 | Recorded: June 17, 2024
Episode 337 | Recorded: June 17, 2024