Armenian News Network - Groong: Week In Review Podcast

State of the Armenian Economy
A Conversation with Vardan Aramyan - November 21, 2021

The war initiated by Azerbaijan in the fall of 2020, amid the pandemic, further complicated an already complex economic situation in Armenia. And as the world economy recovers from Covid-19 related shocks, we wanted to understand Armenia’s own post-war and post-covid-19 economic situation.

It is not an easy task to separate the wheat from the chaff of economic analysis given the highly polarized post-war Armenia, where many things in life are viewed through the lens of political affiliation, but we’ll attempt to do just that with our guest.
Guest

To talk about the state of the Armenian economy we have a special guest today:

• Mr. Vardan Aramyan is the former Minister of Finance of the Republic of Armenia from 2016-2018. He is currently Senior Vice President for Finance and Economy at Vallex Group in Yerevan.

 
Topics:
 - 2022 Budget and Economic Growth
 - Growth Sectors
 - Inflation
 - Corridor Economics
 - Artsakh

See the extensive show notes on our website.

Hosts:

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

Episode 102 | Recorded on Saturday, November 19, 2021

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Talking with Alison Tahmizian Meuse
A veteran journalist who has recently shifted gears and also moved to the homeland.

Alison 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:
- Intro to Alison
- War in Artsakh
- Twitter
- Media Freedoms in Armenia

Hosts:

- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
- Katia Peltekian TW/@HovikYerevan

Episode 100: Recorded on Monday, November 15, 2021

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ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021

Topics:

• Armenia under wide scale attacks by Azerbaijan
• Border Politics
• Azerbaijan Returns to the OSCE MG
• Municipal elections Over the Past Weekend

Guests:

• Arthur Martirosyan TW/@ArtMart96

Hosts:

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

Episode 101 | Recorded: Monday, November 16, 2021

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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

Hosts:

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

Episode 99 | Recorded: Monday, November 8, 2021

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The State of Affairs in Lebanon

A Conversation with Dr. Ohannes Geukjian and Vera Yacoubian

Topics:

• A year after the Beirut Explosion, what’s the state of investigations?
• Has Anyone been held Accountable?
• Who are the Internal and External Players in Lebanon?
• What’s the State and Future of the Armenian Community in Lebanon?

Guests:

• Dr. Ohannes Geukjian
• Vera Yacoubian

Hosts:

• Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
• Katia Peltekian TW/@KatiaPeltekian

Episode 98: Recorded on Saturday, November 6, 2021

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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

Hosts:

 - Simon Maghakyan TW/@simonforco

Episode 97: Recorded on Tuesday, November 2, 2021

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ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 31, 2021

Topics:

• Georgia’s Runoff Elections
• Turkish Drones in Donbas
• Iran-Turkey Tensions
• The G20 Palooza

Guests:

• Pietro Shakarian

Hosts:

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

Episode 96 | Recorded: October 31, 2021

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Conversations on Groong - Oct 30, 2021

Since the fall of the Soviet Union 30 years ago, Armenia and Azerbaijan never engaged in determining their mutual borders. Now after the 44-day War in Artsakh, Azerbaijan's president Aliyev is demanding the signing of a "Peace Treaty" with Armenia,which includes a full border recognition between them. But based on what borders?

Topics:

• Early Maps of Armenia
• 20th Century Maps
• Enclaves
• Goris-Kapan Highway
• Sev Lake
• Armenia-Iran Border & Corridors
• Artsakh and Closing Comments

Guest: Rouben Galichian

Hosts:

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 95 | Recorded: Oct 29, 2021

SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/95

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/vzCYw0lMaSU

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ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 24, 2021

Topics:

• Yerevan’s “Positive Messages”
• Opposition Going Back to Street Rallies?
• Ruling Party Setbacks in Local Elections
• Vano Siradeghyan Dies

Guests:

• Tevan Poghosyan TW/@TevanPoghosyan

Hosts:

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

Episode 92 | Recorded: October 25, 2021

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Armenia’s Diplomacy and Regional Corridors

The 44-day War in Artsakh ended with Armenia signing a document of capitulation in November of 2020. The three signatories, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, agreed to implement a number of points to maintain the ceasefire, and work towards a longer lasting peace deal in the region.

In the past month, there’s been a flurry of diplomatic activity around Armenia, with the foreign ministers from Georgia, Iran, India, all visiting and meeting with Armenia’s top officials, and of course Armenia’s officials have visited other countries, like the US, Russia, and have met with their top diplomats as well as the EU, France and Azerbaijan.

How is Armenia’s diplomacy navigating the “Corridor Politics” and what are the prospects for a peaceful neighborhood?

To discuss the region’s prospects for peace, we have with us:

- Varuzhan Geghamyan, who is an assistant professor at Yerevan State University and teaches on Turkey’s modern history and the history of Azerbaijan.

Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan

Episode 93 | Recorded: October 18, 2021

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