United States

Former Artsakh Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan - 01/18/2021

We’ll be discussing various legal and human-rights topics within the context of recent developments in Armenia.

Guest:

• Ruben Melikyan was formerly Artsakh’s Human Rights Ombudsman and prior to that rector of the Justice Academy of Armenia. In 2019, Melikyan co-founded and currently leads the “Path of Law” NGO.

Topics:

• Why are there Armenian POWs still in Azerbaijan so long after the Nov. 9 ceasefire agreement?
• On Constitutional Court judges being forced to resign
• On Parliament’s endorsement of Gagik Jahangiryan’s appointment

Conversation with Aram Vardevanyan - 01/13/2021

Since Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018, and prior to the Artsakh war of 2020, issues around the Armenian constitution and constitutional court have been in the center of public attention. These issues have been partly fueled by one of the most prominent legal cases in recent Armenian history, the March 1 trial against Armenian president Robert Kocharyan and military leadership at the time. We’ll explore issues surrounding the March 1 case, as well as legal and specifically constitutional questions related to the Nov. 9 ceasefire

Research in Policy Making and Implementation (Ep #38) - 01/03/2021

Asbed Kotchikian is an associate professor of political science and international relations at the American University of Armenia, where he teaches courses on post-Soviet space and the Middle East.

Talks with

Arevik Anapiosyan is the Partnerships and Development Finance Advisor to the UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia, and has served as the Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia. She co-founded and was the Executive Director of the Institute of Public Policy think tank in Yerevan.

Since the end of the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in 1994 and for over quarter of a century, Armenia has engaged in diplomatic activity with Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia and the West. The aim of those diplomatic initiatives was to find a solution to the conflict by engaging in direct diplomatic negotiations as well as track two diplomacy.

In September 2020, diplomatic initiatives gave way to a military one resulting in a war that reversed Armenia’s military successes and led to the signing of a cease-fire agreement which completely undermined Armenia’s position vis-a-vis Azerbaijan and Turkey.

ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 33 - Dec 13, 2020

Topics Covered:

• Renewed Fighting & the OSCE MG visit
• Expedited Border Demarcation?
• What will happen to Sotq?
• Diplomatic Relations with Azerbaijan?

Your Hosts:

• Asbed Bedrossian
• Hovik Manucharyan

Resident Panelists:

• Emil Sanamyan
• Pietro Shakarian

Recorded: Dec 13, 2020

On November 9, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed The Statement ending the war in Artsakh, known more commonly as Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia emerged as a major winner, by ending the violence, introducing peacekeepers, and upholding its historical role as the regional referee in the Caucasus. What are Russia’s interests in the region, and in this agreement?

Pietro Shakarian helps us explore. He is a historian and a Ph.D. candidate in Russian History at the Ohio State University. His analyses on Russia, Armenia, and the post-Soviet space have appeared in several publications, including The

ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 27 - Nov 15, 2020

Topics Covered:

• The war ends. What are the terms of the deal?
• Pax Russiana
• The extent of Turkey’s presence in Azerbaijan
• Jubilation in Baku

Your Hosts:

• Asbed Bedrossian
• Hovik Manucharyan

Resident Panelists:

• Asbed Kotchikian
• Emil Sanamyan
• Artyom Tonoyan

Recorded: Nov 15, 2020

Conversations on Groong: Artsakh in the Arab Media - Oct 28, 2020

Since September 27, Azerbaijan has been waging an all out war on Artsakh, cluster-bombing towns and villages and killing civilians and destroying churches and cultural centers, with the aim to destroy and depopulate the region. The worldwide Armenian Diaspora has come together to fight this existential threat.

We’ve read much about the Diaspora’s activities around most of the world, but what about the Arab world? This episode explores some of the challenges and opportunities that the Armenian communities in the Arab world

ANN/Groong Week in Review - 10/25/2020

Topics Covered:

• International diplomacy on the move?
• What is Turkey’s endgame?
• War and post-war economy
• Update on COVID

Guests:

• Asbed Kotchikian
• Hrant Mikaelian
• Emil Sanamyan

Your Hosts:

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20201025.html Episode 23 | Recorded on October 25, 2020