TRIPP down Zangezur Corridor, Armenian Economy

Conversations on Groong - August 29, 2025

Topics

• Pashinyan, Aliyev, in the White House
• What “Peace”?
• Armenian Economy

Guest

• Prof. Jeffrey Sachs

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 466 | Recorded: August 28, 2025

https://podcasts.groong.org/466

Reflections on Life as a Political Prisoner, Attacks on the Church and Sovereignty | Ep 465, Aug 28, 2025

Conversations on Groong - August 28, 2025

Topics

• Imprisonment and Political Persecution
• International and Diaspora Response
• Pashinyan Regime Attack on the Church
• The Managed Capitulation Process

Guest

• Armen Ashotyan, VP of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 465 | Recorded: August 27, 2025

🔗&🎧: https://podcasts.groong.org/465

State Sovereignty Day, TRIPP Trap, Reactions, Kitchen Sink | Ep 464, Aug 24, 2025

Groong Week in Review - August 24, 2025

Topics

• August 23: Armenia’s declaration of State Sovereignty
• The TRIPP Trap
• Iran - Pezeshkian’s Visit
• Russia - Overchuk’s visit
• The Kitchen Sink

Guest

• Tevan Poghosyan

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 464 | Recorded: August 25, 2025

https://podcasts.groong.org/464

Sergei Melkonian - Alaska Summit, Trump Corridor, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Emerging Opposition “Our Way”/”Մեր Ձեվով”

Groong Week in Review - August 17, 2025

Topics

• Trump-Putin Alaska Summit
• Trump Corridor Politics
• Russian-Azerbaijani Relations
• Russian-Iranian Recalibration
• New Opposition Emerging - Our Way

Guest

• Sergei Melkonian

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 463 | Recorded: August 18, 2025

https://podcasts.groong.org/463

Pashinyan vs. the Church, India Armenia, NGOs and Foreign Influence, Trump Corridor

Conversations on Groong - Recorded: August 15, 2025

Topics

• Pashinyan vs. The Armenian Church
• Indian-Armenian Relations
• NGOs and Foreign Influence
• U.S. Geopolitics and the Trump Corridor

Guest

• Christine Arakelian

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 462 | Recorded: August 15, 2025

https://podcasts.groong.org/462

Iran and the corridor through Syunik, Armenia

Conversations on Groong - August 16, 2025

Topics

• TRIPP Corridor & US Involvement
• US-Israel Strategy & War Risks
• Iran’s Missed Opportunities & Shifts
• Future of Iran–Armenia Relations

Guest

• Hamid Bahrami

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 461 | Recorded: August 13, 2025

SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/461

Armenia in the Crosshairs of US Geopolitical Winds | Ep 460, Aug 12, 2025

Conversations on Groong - Recorded: August 11, 2025

Topics

• US Geopolitics
• #Gaza, #Iran, #Russia, #Ukraine
• #DonaldTrump, #Pashinyan, #Aliyev meet in the #WhiteHouse

Guest

• Christine Arakelian
• Col. Douglas A. MacGregor

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 460 | Recorded: August 11, 2025

https://podcasts.groong.org/460

Trump, Aliyev, Pashinyan Oval Office Meeting, Reactions

Topics

• #DonaldTrump, #Aliyev, #Pashinyan Meet at the #WhiteHouse
• 99-year Trump Corridor lease
• Section 907 proposed to be scrapped,
• Nothing about #ArmenianPOWs, Nothing about #Artsakh Human Rights, or Right of Return
• #Armenia’s sovereignty on the line, #Azebaijan #Turkey get everything they want
• Iran, Russia Reactions

Guest

• Amb. Dziunik Aghajanian

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 459 | Recorded: August 11, 2025

https://podcasts.groong.org/459

The Evolving World Order, Russia, and the South Caucasus

Topics

• Trump, Pashinyan, Aliyev DC Summit
• Ukraine War and the Shifting World Order
• Russia and the South Caucasus

Guest

• Stanislav Krapivnik

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan

• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 458 | Recorded: August 9, 2025

SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/458

Groong Links:

• GIVE to GROONG
• linktr.ee/Groong

Guest:

• Benyamin Poghosyan

Topics:

• Trump Ultimatum to Putin
• US Sanctions effect on Armenia
• Turkey, US, and Armenia’s Territory
• The Kitchen Sink

Episode 457 | Recorded: August 3, 2025

Public Trust in Freefall, Church on the Rise, and Corridor Pressures Mount | Ep 456, Jul 27, 2025

Groong Week in Review - July 27, 2025

Topics

• Corridor Logic
• Crackdown Logic
• IRI Poll
• Russian in the South Caucasus

Guest

• Benyamin Poghosyan

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 456 | Recorded: July 28, 2025

https://podcasts.groong.org/456

Artsakh Negotiations, Armenian Domestic Politics

Conversations on Groong - July 27, 2025

Topics

• Artsakh Negotiations
• Armenian Domestic Politics

Guest

• Arthur Khachatryan, MP

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 455 | Recorded: July 25, 2025

SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/455

Groong Links:

• GIVE to GROONG
• linktr.ee/Groong

Guest:

• Dr. Archil Sikharulidze

Topics:

• EU Strategy in the South Caucasus
• Attacks on the National Church
• 2025 Local Election Politics

Episode 454 | Recorded: July 22, 2025

Groong Week in Review - July 13, 2025

In this episode, Hovik and Asbed discuss the quiet but consequential meeting between Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev in Abu Dhabi, and the parallel crackdown unfolding in Armenia against opposition figures, church leaders, and academics. With no official deal signed, the conversation focuses on the deeper implications of "outsourcing" corridor control and the broader geopolitical realignments under way.

Topics

• Pashinyan meets Aliyev in Abu Dhabi
• Continued Persecution of Church and Opposition

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 453 | Recorded: July 13, 2025

https://podcasts.groong.org/453

Groong Week in Review - July 6, 2025

In this episode of the Groong Podcast, we are joined by Arthur Martirosyan for a Week in Review covering Armenia’s shifting geopolitical landscape and domestic upheaval. The discussion explores the controversial proposal for a U.S.-controlled corridor through Syunik, tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan, and Pashinyan’s escalating confrontation with the Armenian Apostolic Church. The show also examines Armenia’s foreign policy confusion, including talk of joining the SCO, while cracking down on opposition voices—most notably the stripping of immunity from Seyran Ohanyan and Artsvik Minasyan. Against this backdrop, the episode questions the erosion of sovereignty, the use of legal tools for political ends, and the uncertain future of Armenia’s democratic and constitutional order.

Topics

• Constitution Day
• Western Controlled Syunik?
• What was Kallas Doing in Yerevan?
• Russian-Azerbaijani Relations
• Coup d’Etat? Or Coup d’Église?
• The Kitchen Sink

Guest

• Arthur G Martirosyan

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 452 | Recorded: July 7, 2025

Show Notes: https://podcasts.groong.org/452

Groong Week in Review - June 29, 2025

Topics

• Iran War
• Iran-Azerbaijan Relations
• Russian-Azerbaijani Tensions
• Russian-Armenian Relations
• Persecution of The Church Continues
• Kaja Kallas in Armenia
• OIC Declaration

Guest

• Dziunik Aghajanian

Hosts

• Hovik Manucharyan
• Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 451 | Recorded: June 29, 2025

https://podcasts.groong.org/451

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Guest:

• Karen Kwiatkowski

Topics:

• The 12-Day War
• Where did Trump’s American 1st Go?

Episode 450 | Recorded: June 26, 2025

Groong Links:

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• linktr.ee/Groong

Guest:

• Dr. Sergei Melkonian

Topics:

• Israel and Iran
• Crackdown on the Opposition
• Pashinyan in Istanbul
• The Kitchen Sink

Episode 449 | Recorded: June 25, 2025

Groong Links:

• GIVE to GROONG
• linktr.ee/Groong

Guest:

• Dr. Arman Grigoryan

Topics:

• Israel’s war on Iran and U.S. involvement
• Risks of Iranian regime change or partition
• Strategic dangers to Armenia

Episode 448 | Recorded: June 21, 2025

Groong Links:

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Guest:

• Fyodor Lukyanov

Topics:

• Israel hits Iran, talks collapse
• Armenia at risk if Iran weakens
• Russia hardens stance on Ukraine

Episode 447 | Recorded: June 15, 2025

Groong Links:

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Guest:

• Rafael Ishkhanyan

Topics:

• Armenia legalizes round-the-clock surveillance.
• Law enables political targeting, critics warn.
• No oversight, no privacy laws.
• Silence from Armenia’s new geopolitical allies.

Episode 446 | Recorded: June 12, 2025

Groong Links:

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• linktr.ee/Groong

Guest:

• Rananjay Anand, Co-Founder & President of the Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO.

Topics:

• Operation Sindoor
• Indians Boycott Turkey & Azerbaijan
• Armenia as a Robus Partner

Episode 445 | Recorded: June 9, 2025

Groong Links:

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• linktr.ee/Groong

Guest:

• Hrant Mikaelian

Topics:

• Ukraine's War, Poland’s Pivot?
• Status Check on the Economy
• RPA Names PM Candidate
• Armenia’s Demographic Threats
• The Kitchen Sink

Episode 444 | Recorded: June 9, 2025

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Abhinav Pandya about the emerging Turkey–Pakistan–Azerbaijan axis and its implications for India’s security and regional posture. We explore the symbolism behind the opening of an empty airport in Berdzor (Lachin), the broader strategic coordination among these three nations, and how India responded with Operation Sindoor following a major terror attack in Pahalgam. The conversation also looks at Armenia’s growing role as a strategic partner for India, the complexities of managing ties with Iran, and the challenges facing multilateral projects like IMEC. Pandya outlines the ideological and hybrid threats India faces and what it must do to stay ahead in a shifting geopolitical landscape.

Groong Links:

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Guest:

• Dr. Abhinav Pandya, Founder, President and CEO of Usanas Foundation Think Tank.

Topics:

• Turkey-Pakistan-Azerbaijan Axis
• Operation Sindoor
• Armenia As a Strategic Partner
• West Asia and Eurasia Context
• Future Outlook

Episode 443 | Recorded: June 3, 2025

Groong Links:

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Guest:

• Benyamin Poghosyan

Topics:

• 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

Episode 442 | Recorded: June 2, 2025