Yerevan
Last updated: June 11, 2026
Yerevan is Armenia’s capital and largest city, with a population of approximately 1.1 million in the metropolitan area. Founded in 782 BCE, it is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. Located in the Ararat Valley roughly 44 kilometers west of the Azerbaijan border, Yerevan is home to Republic Square, the Armenian National Museum, Etchmiadzin Cathedral, and numerous universities, theaters, and cultural institutions. The city serves as Armenia’s economic engine, housing the country’s major businesses, media outlets, and educational centers. Key government institutions—the National Assembly (parliament), presidential residence, and government ministries—are located in central Yerevan, making it the seat of state power and the venue where major policy decisions affecting Armenia’s relationship with Azerbaijan , Russia , the United States , Iran , and Turkey are formulated and announced.
Yerevan’s Republic Square remains a symbolic center of Armenian national life, and the surrounding neighborhoods host universities, cultural institutions, and media outlets that shape public discourse on war, peace, and Armenia’s geopolitical alignment.
Yerevan has been the epicenter of Armenia’s major political upheavals since independence in 1991. The so-called Velvet Revolution in 2018 centered on mass protests in Yerevan’s streets against Robert Kocharyan and resulted in Nikol Pashinyan ascending to power. Since then, the city has witnessed successive cycles of protest and state crackdown: street demonstrations against the 2020 ceasefire agreement following the 44-Day War , opposition rallies during Pashinyan’s tenure, and most recently, state pressure on the Armenian Church and arrests of opposition figures ahead of the June 7, 2026 parliamentary elections. Yerevan’s geography and political institutions make it the arena where Armenia’s foreign policy commitments, including negotiations over the Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Process , commitments to TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity), and Armenia’s shifting relationship with CSTO membership are debated, contested, and implemented.
The city’s role in Armenia’s current geopolitical predicament is direct and unavoidable. Yerevan’s proximity to the Azerbaijani border and its status as Armenia’s sole major urban center mean that security threats, blockade pressure, and territorial demands all converge on decisions made within the capital’s government buildings. During the Iran War beginning in early 2026, Yerevan became a site of intense diplomatic activity as foreign officials visited to signal American intentions regarding the TRIPP corridor, regional alignment, and Armenia’s relationship with Washington. The city’s parliament elected in June 2026 will determine whether Armenia continues Pashinyan’s course of concessions to Azerbaijan and the West, or whether opposition forces can halt further territorial or sovereignty losses. As such, developments in Yerevan invariably reflect and shape the choices available to Armenia as a state caught between Russia , an increasingly assertive Azerbaijan, a destabilized Iran, and a United States pursuing its own strategic interests in the South Caucasus.
Groong episodes that include this tag
Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Yerevan.
Arman Tatoyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 9 [EP187]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 20, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, Genocide | Series: cog, video
“This is the policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the people of Artsakhâ -Arman Tatoyan
Guest:
- Arman Tatoyan , is the former ombudsman of the Republic of Armenia. Currently actively pursues human rights for Armenians in the republics of Armenia and Artsakh, especially through his foundation, the âTatoyanâ Center for Law and Justice.
Topic:
This is Day 9 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan.
As we are recording this discussion, more than 120 thousand people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh). For 9 days, Azerbaijan has brazenly blocked
Read MoreArman Tatoyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 9 [EP187]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 20, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, Genocide“This is the policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the people of Artsakhâ -Arman Tatoyan
Guest:
- Arman Tatoyan , is the former ombudsman of the Republic of Armenia. Currently actively pursues human rights for Armenians in the republics of Armenia and Artsakh, especially through his foundation, the âTatoyanâ Center for Law and Justice.
Topic:
This is Day 9 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan.
As we are recording this discussion, more than 120 thousand people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh). For 9 days, Azerbaijan has brazenly blocked
Read MoreHrant Mikaelian: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 8 [EP186]
Posted on Monday, Dec 19, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Ukraine, Human Rights, Georgia, European Union, Geopolitics, Israel | Series: cog, video
Guest:
- Hrant Mikaelian , a political scientist and multidisciplinary researcher in social sciences based in Yerevan. He is also a senior researcher at the Caucasus Institute.
“The full state-led attack against Artsakh and Armenia, which no-one in Europe condemned, was a case where the military solution worked. From 2020 onwards, many actors in the world see that you can attack and get away with it.”
Topic:
This is Day 8 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. 120 thousand people are effectively being held hostage by the regime in Baku.
Groong and 168 Hours are continuing our
Read MoreHrant Mikaelian: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 8 [EP186]
Posted on Monday, Dec 19, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Ukraine, Human Rights, Georgia, European Union, Geopolitics, IsraelGuest:
- Hrant Mikaelian , a political scientist and multidisciplinary researcher in social sciences based in Yerevan. He is also a senior researcher at the Caucasus Institute.
“The full state-led attack against Artsakh and Armenia, which no-one in Europe condemned, was a case where the military solution worked. From 2020 onwards, many actors in the world see that you can attack and get away with it.”
Topic:
This is Day 8 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. 120 thousand people are effectively being held hostage by the regime in Baku.
Groong and 168 Hours are continuing our
Read MoreArthur Khachikyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 6 [EP185]
Posted on Saturday, Dec 17, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, Genocide, Iran, Ukraine, NATO, Israel, China, Economy, India | Series: cog, video
Guest:
- Arthur Khachikyan , PhD is an International Relations expert from Stanford University, specializing in Intervention. He currently teaches at the Russian Armenian University in Yerevan.
Topic:
Weâre going on to Day 6 of the Artsakh Blockade by Azerbaijan, and Groong and 168 Hours are teaming up to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious issue, a major humanitarian crisis in Artsakh in progress.
“We somehow have this complex. We think weâre the sleeping beauty and the west is going to come and save us. And every time that it
Read MoreArthur Khachikyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 6 [EP185]
Posted on Saturday, Dec 17, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, Genocide, Iran, Ukraine, NATO, Israel, China, Economy, IndiaGuest:
- Arthur Khachikyan , PhD is an International Relations expert from Stanford University, specializing in Intervention. He currently teaches at the Russian Armenian University in Yerevan.
Topic:
Weâre going on to Day 6 of the Artsakh Blockade by Azerbaijan, and Groong and 168 Hours are teaming up to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious issue, a major humanitarian crisis in Artsakh in progress.
“We somehow have this complex. We think weâre the sleeping beauty and the west is going to come and save us. And every time that it
Read MoreLachin Blocked | Armenia-Azerbaijan Negotiations | Military Exercises | Syunik [EP182]
Posted on Sunday, Dec 11, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Turkey, Russia, Iran, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, Ukraine, China, Geopolitics, Economy, Israel, Middle East, NATO, Syria, India | Series: wir
Guest:
Topics:
- Lachin Corridor Blockade
- Continuing Armenian-Azerbaijani Negotiations
- Turkish-Azerbaijani Military Exercises
- Travel Impressions from the region
Episode 182 | Recorded: December 13, 2022
Lachin Blocked | Armenia-Azerbaijan Negotiations | Military Exercises | Syunik [EP182]
Posted on Sunday, Dec 11, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Turkey, Russia, Iran, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, Ukraine, China, Geopolitics, Economy, Israel, Middle East, NATO, Syria, IndiaGuest:
Topics:
- Lachin Corridor Blockade
- Continuing Armenian-Azerbaijani Negotiations
- Turkish-Azerbaijani Military Exercises
- Travel Impressions from the region
Episode 182 | Recorded: December 13, 2022
Armenia-Azerbaijan Negotiations | Artsakh Reshuffle | Opposition [EP181]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2022 | Category: Politics, Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, Russia, Iran, NATO, Ukraine, Economy, Middle East | Series: wir
Guest:
Topics:
- Armenia-Azerbaijan Negotiations Continue
- CSTO Debacle
- Lavrov Bombshell
- Lachin Corridor Blockaded
- Brussels Summit Canceled
- Artsakh President Lays off Government
- Parliamentary Opposition Fragmenting
Episode 181 | Recorded: December 6, 2022