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.

Pashinyan Live | From Sochi to Brussels | Normalization | Co-opetition | Ep #104 - Nov 28, 2021 [EP104]

Posted on Monday, Nov 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Syria, Economy, Georgia, China, India, Lebanon, Artsakh, Ukraine, Genocide, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 28, 2021

Topics:

  • Pashinyan Live on Facebook
  • Trilateral in Sochi, Bilateral in Brussels
  • Turkish-Armenian “Normalization”
  • Russian-Turkish “Co-opetition” in Eurasia

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian TW/@hrant_m
  • Yeghia Tashjian TW/@yeghig

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 104 | Recorded: Sunday, November 28, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211128.html

Pashinyan Live | From Sochi to Brussels | Normalization | Co-opetition | Ep #104 - Nov 28, 2021 [EP104]

Posted on Monday, Nov 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Syria, Economy, Georgia, China, India, Lebanon, Artsakh, Ukraine, Genocide, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 28, 2021

Topics:

  • Pashinyan Live on Facebook
  • Trilateral in Sochi, Bilateral in Brussels
  • Turkish-Armenian “Normalization”
  • Russian-Turkish “Co-opetition” in Eurasia

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian TW/@hrant_m
  • Yeghia Tashjian TW/@yeghig

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 104 | Recorded: Sunday, November 28, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211128.html

Russia-NATO | Border | Goodbye Moscow, Hello Brussels! | Protests in EVN | Ep #103 - Nov 21, 2021 [EP103]

Posted on Monday, Nov 22, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, Georgia, USA, Economy, NATO, European Union | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 21, 2021

Topics:

  • Russia-NATO escalation
  • Border escalation
  • Goodbye Moscow, Hello Brussels!
  • Protests in Yerevan

Guest: Pietro Shakarian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 103 | Recorded: Monday, November 22, 2021 Show notes: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211121.html

Russia-NATO | Border | Goodbye Moscow, Hello Brussels! | Protests in EVN | Ep #103 - Nov 21, 2021 [EP103]

Posted on Monday, Nov 22, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, Georgia, USA, Economy, NATO, European Union

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 21, 2021

Topics:

  • Russia-NATO escalation
  • Border escalation
  • Goodbye Moscow, Hello Brussels!
  • Protests in Yerevan

Guest: Pietro Shakarian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 103 | Recorded: Monday, November 22, 2021 Show notes: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211121.html

Talking with Alison Tahmizian Meuse | Ep. #100 - Nov 17, 2021 [EP100]

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 16, 2021 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Middle East, Genocide, India, Armenian Genocide, Economy, Georgia, USA, Russia, European Union | Series: cog, video

Talking with Alison Tahmizian Meuse - TW/@AliTahmizian - November 17, 2021

  • Alison Tahmizian Meuse is a graduate of the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. She is a French and Arabic speaker, and a veteran Middle East journalist, having worked over the past decade as a producer, correspondent and editor for major international publications including Agence France-Presse, NPR, and the Asia Times. She currently serves as a strategic advisor for the New Delhi-based consultancy DeepStrat and is newly based in Yerevan.

Topics:

  • The drive to cover dangerous
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Talking with Alison Tahmizian Meuse | Ep. #100 - Nov 17, 2021 [EP100]

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 16, 2021 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Middle East, Genocide, India, Armenian Genocide, Economy, Georgia, USA, Russia, European Union

Talking with Alison Tahmizian Meuse - TW/@AliTahmizian - November 17, 2021

  • Alison Tahmizian Meuse is a graduate of the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. She is a French and Arabic speaker, and a veteran Middle East journalist, having worked over the past decade as a producer, correspondent and editor for major international publications including Agence France-Presse, NPR, and the Asia Times. She currently serves as a strategic advisor for the New Delhi-based consultancy DeepStrat and is newly based in Yerevan.

Topics:

  • The drive to cover dangerous
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War in Artsakh, 1 Year On | Erika Olson visits Region | Internal developments | Ep #99 - Nov 7, 2021 [EP99]

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 9, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, China, Artsakh, India, Georgia, Turkey, Israel, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021

Topics:

  • The War in Artsakh, One Year Later
  • Erika Olson visits the South Caucasus
  • Internal political developments

Guests:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@Benyamin_Poghos

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 99 | Recorded: Monday, November 8, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211107.html

War in Artsakh, 1 Year On | Erika Olson visits Region | Internal developments | Ep #99 - Nov 7, 2021 [EP99]

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 9, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, China, Artsakh, India, Georgia, Turkey, Israel, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021

Topics:

  • The War in Artsakh, One Year Later
  • Erika Olson visits the South Caucasus
  • Internal political developments

Guests:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@Benyamin_Poghos

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 99 | Recorded: Monday, November 8, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211107.html

Save Our Monuments | A Year After the War in Artsakh | AM/AZ Case at the ICJ | Ep #97 - Nov 3, 2021 [EP97]

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 3, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Genocide, Artsakh, Georgia, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: cog

Guest(s):

Save Armenian Monuments A Conversation with Virginia Davies and Heghnar Watenpaugh

Topics:

  • One year after the War in Artsakh, the State of Armenian Monuments in Lands turned over to Azerbaijan
  • What is Save Armenian Monuments?
  • The Significance of Pilgrimage and Holy Sites
  • Armenia and Azerbaijan at the International Court of Justice: Is Intentional Cultural Destruction a form of Racial Discrimination?
  • What Next Steps?

Guests:

  • Virginia Davies TW/@vdaviesnyc
  • Heghnar Watenpaugh TW/@HeghnarW

Host:

  • Simon Maghakyan TW/@simonforco

Episode 97 |

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