
Armenian News Network - Groong: Week In Review Podcast
Weekly review of Armenian News from https://groong.org. Keeping up with news related to Armenia and Armenians can be challenging; the sheer volume of news in the past few years has increased greatly, and the rise of the “Fake News” phenomenon contributing to the erosion of trust in the news media. The diversity of languages used by the worldwide Armenian community also poses a challenge for Armenian news; there is a significant portion of news that originates in Armenian, sometimes in Russian, and does not get adequately translated into English, or Western Armenian, for those in the Diaspora who are not proficient in Eastern Armenian. Finally, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the political turbulence in countries where significant communities of the Armenian Diaspora reside, be it Syria, Lebanon, the United States, etc., many of our friends and colleagues indicate that they’re simply overloaded with information and lack the time and energy to separate the good from the bad. So we’re creating this weekly digest of news and analysis that we find relevant to share with our friends and the wider ANN/Groong audience. Our goal is to provide a brief overview of the main headlines of the past week, and then cover a smaller set of the more important developments, curated by ANN/Groong editors and contributors who spend an inordinate amount of time daily to process Armenian news. We hope that over time this podcast will help our listeners in becoming more astute consumers of Armenian news. We will strive to provide a rich set of notes with each installation, with links to the most relevant articles and information as a starting point for your further investigation.
Episodes
461 episodes
Christine Arakelian - Pashinyan vs. the Church, India Armenia, NGOs and Foreign Influence, Trump Corridor | Ep 462, Aug 17, 2025
Pashinyan vs. the Church, India Armenia, NGOs and Foreign Influence, Trump CorridorTopicsPashinyan vs. The Armenian ChurchIndian-Armenian RelationsNGOs and Foreign InfluenceU.S. Geopolitics and the ...
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Episode 462
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1:07:22

Hamid Bahrami - Iran and the corridor through Syunik, Armenia | Ep 461, Aug 16, 2025
Conversations on Groong - August 16, 2025In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with analyst Hamid Bahrami about Iran’s shifting role in the South Caucasus following the White House meeting between Trump, Pashinyan, ...
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Episode 461
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52:35

Douglas MacGregor & Christine Arakelian - Armenia in the Crosshairs of US Geopolitical Winds | Ep 460, Aug 12, 2025
Armenia in the Crosshairs of US Geopolitical WindsConversations on Groong - Recorded: August 11, 2025TopicsUS Geopolitics#Gaza, #Iran, #Russia, #Ukraine#DonaldTrump, #Pashinyan, #Aliyev meet in the #W...
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Episode 460
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1:04:01

Dziunik Aghajanian - Trump, Aliyev, Pashinyan Oval Office Meeting and Reactions | Ep 459, Aug 10, 2025
Trump, Aliyev, Pashinyan Oval Office Meeting and ReactionsGroong Week in Review - August 10, 2025TopicsTrump, Aliyev, Pashinyan MeetingIranian ReactionRussian ReactionGuest...
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Episode 459
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1:05:38

Stanislav Krapivnik - The Evolving World Order, Russia, and the South Caucasus | Ep 458, Aug 9, 2025
Conversations on Groong - August 9, 2025In this episode, former U.S. Army officer and military-political analyst Stanislav Krapivnik discusses the geopolitical fallout from the Trump-Pashinyan-Aliyev summit in Washington, which sa...
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Episode 458
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1:15:10

Benyamin Poghosyan - Trump Ultimatum to Putin, Corridor Pressures, DC Summit | Ep 457, Aug 3, 2025
Groong Week in Review - August 3, 2025In Episode 457 of the Groong Podcast, we examine growing regional and domestic pressures on Armenia. From a U.S.-backed proposal to lease the Zangezur Corridor to Trump’s August 8 ultimatum for Russi...
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Episode 457
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1:04:04

Benyamin Poghosyan - Public Trust in Freefall, Church on the Rise, and Corridor Pressures Mount | Ep 456, Jul 27, 2025
Public Trust in Freefall, Church on the Rise, and Corridor Pressures MountGroong Week in Review - July 27, 2025TopicsCorridor LogicCrackdown LogicIRI PollRussian in the South Caucasus
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Episode 456
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1:09:15

Arthur Khachatryan - Artsakh Negotiations, Armenian Domestic Politics | Ep 455, Jul 27, 2025
Artsakh Negotiations, Armenian Domestic PoliticsTopicsArtsakh NegotiationsArmenian Domestic PoliticsGuestA...
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Episode 455
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55:29

Archil Sikharulidze - Why does Georgia matter for the EU | Ep 454, Jul 24, 2025
Conversations on Groong - July 24, 2025TopicsEU Strategy in the South CaucasusAttacks on the National Church(es)2025 Local Election PoliticsGuest
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Episode 454
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58:09

Pashinyan Meets Aliyev as Armenia Cracks Down on Opposition and Church | Ep 453, Jul 13, 2025
Groong Week in Review - July 13, 2025TopicsPashinyan meets Aliyev in Abu DhabiContinued Persecution of Church and OppositionHosts
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Episode 453
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42:32

Arthur Martirosyan - Constitution, Western Controlled Syunik, Church Crackdown | Ep 452, Jul 6, 2025
Groong Week in Review - July 6, 2025In 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 disc...
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Episode 452
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1:19:49

Dziunik Aghajanian – Fallout from Israel’s War on Iran, Azerbaijan’s Confrontation with Russia, Pashinyan Persecutes the Armenian Church while courting the EU | Ep 451
Groong Week in Review - June 29, 2025TopicsIran WarIran-Azerbaijan RelationsRussian-Azerbaijani TensionsRussian-Armenian RelationsPersecution of The Church ContinuesKaja Kallas in ...
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Episode 451
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1:14:53

Karen Kwiatkowski - War on Iran, Where did Trump’s America 1st Go | Ep 450, Jun 28, 2025
Conversations on Groong - June 28, 2025In this episode of Conversations on Groong, retired Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski joins us to unpack the so-called “12-Day War” between Israel and Iran, and the troubling ways in which Donald Tr...
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Episode 450
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44:14

Sergei Melkonian - Israel & Iran, Crackdown on Opposition, Pashinyan in Istanbul | Ep 449, June 22, 2025
Groong Week in Review - June 22, 2025This Week in Review episode features Sergei Melkonian and covers a turbulent week in Armenia and the region. As Israel and the U.S. launched a short but intense war on Iran, Armenia found itsel...
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Episode 449
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1:12:35

Arman Grigoryan - Israel and US vs Iran, Strategic Dangers to Armenia | Ep 448, Jun 23, 2025
Conversations on Groong - June 23, 2025TopicsIsrael’s war on Iran and U.S. involvementRisks of Iranian regime change or partitionStrategic dangers to ArmeniaGuest
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Episode 448
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1:13:30

Fyodor Lukyanov - Israel Attacks Iran: Perspectives From Russia | Ep 447, Jun 16, 2025
Conversations on Groong - June 16, 2025In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs, to analyze the geopolitical fallout from Israel’s surprise military cam...
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Episode 447
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45:21

Spotlight on Silence: Surveillance State: Armenia’s Biometric Crackdown | Ep 446, Jun 15, 2025
Spotlight on Silence - June 15, 2025In this episode of Groong: Spotlight on Silence, we speak with Rafael Ishkhanyan of the Armenian Center for Political Rights about Armenia’s sweeping new surveillance law. Passed quietly in Marc...
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Episode 446
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54:57

Rananjay Anand – Will India Turn to Armenia Amid Turkey-Azerbaijan Fallout? | Ep 445, June 12, 2025
Conversations on Groong - June 12, 2025In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Rananjay Anand, president of the Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO, about the growing potential for a strategic partnership between India and Arm...
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Episode 445
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33:13

Hrant Mikaelian - Poland’s Shift, RPA’s Nominee, Economy, Demographics | Ep 444, June 8, 2025
Groong Week in Review - June 8, 2025In this Week in Review episode, Groong hosts unpack a tense week in Armenian politics and society. Prime Minister Pashinyan intensifies his attacks on the Armenian Church, while the ruling Civil...
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Episode 444
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1:19:32

Abhinav Pandya - From Sindoor to Syunik: India’s New Geopolitical Frontline | Ep 443, June 6, 2025
Conversations on Groong - June 6, 2025In 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 e...
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Episode 443
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1:03:34

Benyamin Poghosyan - Ukraine and US-Iran, Fidan in Moscow, Lachin, Azerbaijan and Pashinyan attack Armenian Church, Impeachment vs. Elections | Ep 442, June 1, 2025
Groong Week in Review - June 1, 2025In 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 reg...
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Episode 442
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1:12:41

Arthur Khachatryan – Republic Day, EU Drama, and Constitutional Chaos | Ep 441, May 25, 2025
Groong Week in Review - May 25, 2025Topics:May 28, Republic DayArmenia’s EU-Russia policy confusionConstitutional changes for “peace”Impeachment vs. election dilemmaAzeri invasion ...
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Episode 441
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1:08:43

Էդգար Ղազարյան – Խոսքի ազատության և մամուլի վիճակը Հայաստանում | Ep 440, May 28, 2025
Conversations on Groong - May 28, 2025INTERVIEW IN ARMENIAN / ՀԱՐՑԱԶՐՈՒՅՑ ՀԱՅԵՐԵՆTopics: - Criminal charges used to silence Edgar Ghazaryan / Քրեական մեղադրանքներ՝ Էդգար Ղազարյանին լռեցնելու համար - Media fre...
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Episode 440
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1:06:28

Levon Zourabian - US-Iran, Russia-Ukraine, Armenia-Azerbaijan, 2026 Campaigns | Ep 439, May 27, 2025
Conversations on Groong - May 27, 2025TopicsUS-Iran Nuclear TalksRussia and UkraineArmenia Azerbaijan TalksArmenian Elections in 2026Guest
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Episode 439
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1:26:31

Hrant Mikaelian - Tirana, Lavrov, Armenian Un-Democracy, Demilitarization, and More | Ep 438, May 18, 2025
Tirana, Lavrov, Armenian Un-Democracy, Demilitarization, and MoreGroong Week in Review - May 18, 2025TopicsPashinyan in TiranaRussia’s Lavrov in YerevanDemocracy in JeopardyArmenia’s Demilita...
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Episode 438
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1:07:44
