Armenian News Network - Groong: Week In Review Podcast

Groong Week in Review - June 1, 2025

In this episode of Groong’s Week in Review, recorded on June 2, 2025, guest Benyamin Poghosyan joins hosts Hovik Manucharyan and Asbed Bedrossian to unpack a tense and volatile week in both regional and domestic politics. The conversation opens with rising tensions in the Ukraine war, as drone strikes reach deep into Russia, Germany lifts missile restrictions, and Trump labels Putin “crazy,” all while Iran nuclear talks remain frozen under hardline U.S. demands. The focus then shifts to the South Caucasus, where Turkish FM Hakan Fidan met Lavrov in Moscow to push the “3+3” platform and floated Istanbul as a summit venue for global powers. Meanwhile, Erdogan, Aliyev, and Pakistan’s PM Sharif staged a PR spectacle in Lachin to inaugurate a third airport in occupied Artsakh, signaling strategic realignments. Back in Armenia, the Pashinyans launched harsh verbal attacks on the Armenian Church just as Baku’s Grand Mufti claimed Etchmiadzin as Azerbaijani land, prompting questions of tacit coordination. The episode also revisits the impeachment debate versus opposition planning for the 2026 elections, probing whether security and corruption can drive real political traction. Finally, the hosts spotlight the rise of regime-aligned oligarch Narek Nalbandyan, whose sweetheart deals, state-enabled asset grabs, and government-backed expansion raise serious concerns about the erosion of anti-corruption values in Armenia today.

• Status of Ukraine and US-Iran Crises
• Hakan Fidan in Moscow
• Erdogan, Aliyev, Sharif in Lachin
• Azerbaijan and Pashinyan Attack the Armenian Church
• Impeachment vs. Elections
• The Kitchen Sink

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 442 | Recorded: June 2, 2025

SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/442

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/oo_B7xhOVlM

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Groong Week in Review - May 25, 2025

• May 28, Republic Day
• Armenia’s EU-Russia policy confusion
• Constitutional changes for “peace”
• Impeachment vs. election dilemma
• Azeri invasion threat and silence

• Arthur Khachatryan

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 441 | Recorded: May 28, 2025

SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/441

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/voqa1Sy5iZY

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Conversations on Groong - May 28, 2025

INTERVIEW IN ARMENIAN / ՀԱՐՑԱԶՐՈՒՅՑ ՀԱՅԵՐԵՆ

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

Guest: Edgar Ghazaryan

Hosts: Hovik Manucharyan

Episode 440 | Recorded: March 9, 2025

SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/440

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/5PINUG0Ng_I

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Conversations on Groong - May 27, 2025

• US-Iran Nuclear Talks
• Russia and Ukraine
• Armenia Azerbaijan Talks
• Armenian Elections in 2026

• Levon Zourabian

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 439 | Recorded: May 23, 2025

SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/439

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/CSmca-IgTaE

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Tirana, Lavrov, Armenian Un-Democracy, Demilitarization, and More

Groong Week in Review - May 18, 2025

Topics

• Pashinyan in Tirana
• Russia’s Lavrov in Yerevan
• Democracy in Jeopardy
• Armenia’s Demilitarization by Any Other Name
• The Kitchen Sink

Guest

• Hrant Mikaelian

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 438 | Recorded: May 21, 2025

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Iran Amidst Geopolitical Tensions

Topics

• US-Iran Nuclear Talks
• Pezeshkian Visit to Baku
• Iran-Armenia Relations
• Abraham Accords for the South Caucasus

Guest

• Ehsan Movahedian - TW/@ultra_ehsan

Hosts

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

Episode 437 | Recorded: May 16, 2025

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Conversations on Groong - May 15, 2025

Topics

• May 9, Victory Day and Parade
• Pashinyan, Aliyev Posture at Victory Day
• Artsrun Hovhannisyan’s Historical Revision
• Armenia and Artsakh Contributions to WW2

Guest: Pietro Shakarian

Host:

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 436 | Recorded: May 12, 2025

Show Notes: https://podcasts.groong.org/436

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/iEieWDdov-A

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Groong Week in Review - May 11, 2025

• May 9 Victory Parade
• Ukraine
• India and Pakistan
• Armenian Azerbaijani Talks
• American Pope

• Arthur G. Martirosyan

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 435 | Recorded: May 12, 2025

SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/435

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/DYQGg6pHONI

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Groong Week in Review - May 4, 2025

• War Drums Around Iran
• Armenia-Azerbaijan Talks
• May 9: Victory Day in Moscow
• It’s OK to Beat Up Journalists in Yerevan

• Benyamin Poghosyan

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 434 | Recorded: May 6, 2025

https://podcasts.groong.org/434

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/n2VjZPNDSOM

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"Provoked", U.S. Foreign Policy, Colored Revolutions, Ukraine War, Armenia, and more

Conversations on Groong - May 4, 2025

Topics

• What happened to Antiwar Voices
• Color Revolutions as US Strategy
• Armenia and Pipeline Geopolitics
• And more!

Guest

• Scott Horton- TW/@scotthortonshow, and @ScottHortonShow & @AntiWarCom

Hosts

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

Episode 433 | Recorded: May 2, 2025

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