Armenian News Network - Groong: Week In Review Podcast

Former Artsakh Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan (Ep #42) - 01/18/2021

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

Our guest today is:

• 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.

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

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 to the Supreme Judicial Council, and legal reforms
• On the realignment of the Armenia-Azerbaijan line of contact, border demarcation and delineation, and verbal  agreements

Hosts:

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

Episode 42 recorded on January 16, 2021

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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 declaration and subsequent events.

Our guest today is:

𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐧, who is the author of over 20 scholarly articles in the field of Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedural Law. He is a PhD in Law, and is a member of the Chamber of Advocates of Armenia. He’s founder and director of JP law firm and from 2011-2018 he was in state service at the Ombudsman’s office and the Constitutional Court. Vardevanyan is a member of Robert Kocharyan’s legal team.


Topics:
- About the criminal cases against Robert Kocharyan
- Is PM Pashinyan’s signing of the Nov. 9 Agreement legal?
- How can Armenia’s borders be changed?
- What is the legal process to removing the Prime Minister?
- How does diplomatic immunity work for the PM, presidents?
- The Armenian government is withholding information on the number of POWs still in Baku. Is this legally tenable?
- What are Robert Kocharyan’s future political plans?

Your Host:
- 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧
- 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧

Episode 41 recorded on January 12, 2021

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𝐀𝐍𝐍/𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟒𝟎 - 𝐉𝐚𝐧 𝟏𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏

Topics Covered:
- The State of the Opposition and their demands
- Update on the Border Positions between Armenia & Azerbaijan
- The State of the Line of Contact around Artsakh

Guests
- 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐚𝐧
- 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐚𝐧

Your Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan

Recorded: January 10, 2021

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Conversation with My Step's Maria Karapetyan (Ep #39) - 01/08/2021

As protesters in the streets of Yerevan continue demanding the resignation of PM Nikol Pashinyan in the aftermath of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ruling My Step faction seems to be firmly on the side of the prime minister. 

In the last week or so here at Groong we hosted representatives of various opposition parties and today we will host a representative from the ruling My Step faction to talk about the ongoing political crisis in Armenia.

Today we’re joined by:

Maria Karapetyan, who is a member of the National Assembly with the My Step parliamentary group and the Civic Contract party. She is a member of the Standing Committee on the Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs, and the Armenian Delegation to Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA) and heads the Armenia-Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group. Maria holds degrees in Linguistics and Intercultural Communication and European Studies from Yerevan State University, as well as a Master’s degree in Peace Studies from the University of Rome Three.

TOPICS:

- Dynamics between Civil Contract and My Step

- Was Parliament aware of about the Nov. 9 Agreement?

- Thoughts on the post-Agreement political stand-off

- Electoral Code Changes My Step is working on?

- State of the Fight Against Corruption

- Health and Humanitarian crises facing Armenia

Your Host:

• 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧

Produced by:

• Asbed Kotchikian
• Asbed Bedrossian

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

Policy is a set of proposals developed and then implemented by governments to address an issue or a problem in the society. The spheres that policy has an impact on ranges from health and social policies (within the category of public policy) to foreign and even military policies.  To develop relevant and useful public policies, policy research and analysis is a key component, and some would argue the foundations of any policy development. 
As an academic field, public policy relies on disciplines such as economics, political science, sociology, behavioral science, health, management and others, resulting in an interdisciplinary field reflecting interconnected public issues.We will be discussing these issues today not just as an abstraction but also as it relates to public policy making in Armenia.

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.

Editors:
  - 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧
  - 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧

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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.

To understand the background of Armenia’s diplomatic activities before the war as well as to look at the future of Armenia’s role in the region, today we will discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by Armenia in the last two decades as well as the way forward. 

Today we’re joined by:

Tevan Poghosyan, who is President of the International Center for Human Development. Mr. Poghosyan was an MP at the National Assembly between 2012 and 2017 from the Heritage party. In 1997-1999 he served as the NKR Public Affairs Office Director in Washington, D.C.

TOPICS:

- On track two diplomacy in Armenian-Azerbaijani & Armenian-Turkish relations.

- State of the Karabakh negotiations prior to the September war.

- What were the key events that put us on a warpath?

- What factors led to Armenia losing the war?

- Internal Armenian politics. Is Armenia a failed state?

- Life in Artsakh.

Your Hosts:
- 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧
- 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧

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𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 Bright Armenia's Edmon Marukyan

Following the trilateral Karabakh ceasefire of Nov 9, all major political forces in Armenia (except for the ruling party) condemned Nikol Pashinyan’s agreement to the deal. While the dissatisfaction with the agreement is widespread, the opposition is not entirely unified on what to do next.

We’ll  talk with the leader of one of the 2 parliamentary opposition factions, Bright Armenia about his, and his party’s vision and subsequent actions to be taken by Armenia.

What is Bright Armenia’s vision for post November, Armenia? Listen to this podcast to find out.

Today's guest is:

Edmon Marukyan, who is an Armenian lawyer and Member of National Assembly. Edmon holds two Master’s Degrees, one in Jurisprudence from the Public Administration Academy of Armenia and the second one in Law (LL.M.) with concentration in International Human Rights Law from the University of Minnesota Law School. In December 2015, Marukyan established the Bright Armenia Political Party and in October 2016, Bright Armenia participated in local-self- government elections of Vanadzor and came in second after the ruling party. In December 2016, in cooperation with “Civic Contract” and “Republic” parties, “Bright Armenia” formed a political coalition named “Way Out” (or Yelq), electing Edmon Marukyan to lead the proportional list of the Coalition in parliamentary elections of April 2, 2017. The “Way Out” Coalition came in third out of four political powers forming the new Parliament. In the snap elections of December 2018, after the dissolution of parliament following the Velvet Revolution, in which 11 political powers took part, Bright Armenia Party, led by Marukyan came in third, taking 18 seats out of 132. Currently Edmon Marukyan leads the Bright Armenia Faction in the National Assembly of Armenia.

Your Hosts:
- 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧
- 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧
- Katia Peltekian

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𝐀𝐍𝐍/𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑𝟓 - 𝐃𝐞𝐜 𝟐𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

Topics Covered:
- Life in Artsakh
- Update on Hin Tagher & Khtsaberd
- Internal Political Situation in Yerevan
- Kapan Border Tension

Guests
- 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐚𝐧
- 𝐈𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧
- 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐲𝐚𝐧

Your Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan

Recorded: Dec 20, 2020

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𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐑𝐅’𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐫 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧

Following the trilateral Karabakh ceasefire of Nov 9, the Armenian opposition has nearly universally condemned Nikol Pashinyan’s agreement to the deal. 
The largest opposition grouping, called Movement of the Salvation of the Homeland (Հայրենիքի փրկության շաժում in Armenian), composed of 17 political parties including the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), Prosperous Armenia, and the Republican Party, are demanding Pashinyan’s immediate resignation and the appointment of their unified candidate, Vazgen Manukyan as interim PM.

This group has been holding regular protests featuring a growing number of participants, with the latest gathering Wednesday, December 17, estimated to be 20K in size.

We’ll be talking with representatives of the political forces behind the movement, to better understand the internal political developments in Armenia and specifically the goals of the Movement of the Salvation of the Homeland.

Today's guest is:

𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐫 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧, who is a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (𝐀𝐑𝐅 𝐃𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐭𝐲𝐮𝐧) Supreme Council in Yerevan. In the past, he held government posts such as Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Development, Governor of Shirak, and Minister of Agriculture. Currently, Arthur is a professor of finance at the French University of Armenia and lectures on Leadership at the Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia.

Your Hosts:
- 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧
- 𝐀𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧

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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 

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