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
510 episodes
David Davidian - Armenia’s Foreign Intel Service Annual Report | Ep 511, Jan 31, 2026
Conversations on Groong - Jan 31, 2026Topics: - Foreign intelligence service - FIS report, strategic gaps - Azerbaijan risk and deterrence - Hybrid threats and elections - TRIPP, ...
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Episode 511
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44:05
Arthur Khachatryan - Army Day, JD Vance to Armenia, TRIPP, Church, Strong Armenia Party | Ep 510, Jan 25, 2026
Groong Week in Review - January 25, 2026Topics:Memorial Day vs. Army DayJD Vance to Armenia and AzerbaijanArmenian Church DevelopmentsStrong Armenia - New Political Party<...
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Episode 510
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45:52
Erhan Arik - Horovel and the Armenian Genocide | Ep 509, Jan 22, 2026
Horovel and the Armenian Genocide | Ep 509, Jan 22, 2026The Critical Corner - Recorded on January 18, 2026TopicsHorovel, a cross-border memory projectOjakh, a second trip down memory l...
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Episode 509
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1:26:03
Sergei Melkonian - Syria, Iran Unrest, TRIPP, Armenian Parliamentary Elections | Ep 508, Jan 18, 2026
Groong Week in Review - January 18, 2026Topics:Syria, Kurds, Turkish advanceIran unrest, war postponedTRIPP and sovereignty dispute2026 elections, foreign influenceGues...
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Episode 508
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1:09:12
Anna Grigoryan - Armenia’s Political Crisis | Ep 507, Jan 17, 2026
Conversations on Groong - January 17, 2026Topics:Return of Four HostagesPashinyan vs. ChurchTRIPPArmenia Parliamentary ElectionGuest
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Episode 507
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1:13:14
Pietro Shakarian - Iran, Russia, and the Geopolitics of Post-Soviet Eurasia | Ep 506, Jan 16, 2026
Conversations on Groong - January 16, 2026TopicsUnrest in IranRussia-Iran PartnershipSolovyov’s StatementsTrump’s “TRIPP Wire” in the CaucasusRelease of Armenian hostages
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Episode 506
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1:04:09
Arthur Martirosyan - Ukraine, Iran, Baku Pogroms, Armenian Church Crisis | Ep 505, Jan 11, 2026
Groong Week in Review - January 11, 2026TopicsUkraine war’s global cost to RussiaIran unrest and war riskRemembering the Baku pogromsRussia-Armenia tensions and media threatsP...
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Episode 505
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1:09:24
Kevork Hagopjian - Armenia’s Church-State Showdown | Ep 504, Jan 13, 2026
Conversations on Groong - January 13, 2026Topics:The Legal Architecture: Autonomy, Exclusive Mission, and State NeutralityEngineering Parallel, Schismatic StructuresCriminal Law as Leverage
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Episode 504
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59:09
Fr. Serop Azarian - Armenian Church Under Attack | Ep 503, Jan 11, 2026
Conversations on Groong - Jan 11, 2026Topics:Pashinyan Attacks: Geopolitics or Vendetta?Renegade Bishops: Demands and NarrativesStolen Church PropertyFrom Christmas to Easter...
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Episode 503
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1:17:41
Fyodor Lukyanov - Russia in Evolving Global Geopolitics | Ep 502, Jan 9, 2026
Conversations on Groong - January 9, 2026TopicsVenezuelaUkraine WarRussia-Iran RelationsTRIPP and Russian-Armenian RelationsGuest
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Episode 502
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1:03:58
Hrant Mikaelian - Venezuela, Attacks on the Armenian Church Continue, MPG Poll Results | Ep 501, Jan 4, 2026
Groong Week in Review - January 4, 2026Topics:Developments in VenezuelaAttacks on Armenian Church ContinueNew MPG Poll ResultsArmenian Economy in 2025 (Jan-Oct)Guest
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Episode 501
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1:09:30
Benyamin Poghosyan - Ukraine, Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, TRIPP, Review & Outlook | Ep 500, Dec 28, 2025
Groong Week in Review - Dec 28, 2025In this milestone 500th episode of *Groong Week in Review*, we assess how major external crises are shaping Armenia’s strategic environment in 2025, examine the stalled Armenia–Azerbaijan proc...
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Episode 500
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1:03:33
Diana Mkrtchyan - Ojakh, the Other Side of Silence - a Marvel to Behold | Ep 499, Jan 30, 2025
The Critical Corner - Recorded on: December 27, 2025In this episode, guest host Bedros Afeyan speaks with documentary filmmaker Diana Mkrtchyan about her feature documentary *Ojakh: On the Other Side of Silence*. The conversatio...
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Episode 499
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1:21:19
Dziunik Aghajanian - EU Ukraine Rift, Church Under Siege, and TRIPP Power Games | Ep 498, Dec 21, 2025
Groong Week in Review - December 21, 2025Topics:Ukraine War and EU RiftSiege on Etchmiadzin and the ChurchPeace Dividend or Political TheaterTRIPP and Competing Power Claims<...
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Episode 498
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56:34
Spotlight on Silence: InJustice in Armenia | Ep 497, Dec 18, 2025
Spotlight on Silence - December 18, 2025This episode examines a growing pattern of political pressure in Armenia, where journalists, lawyers, activists, and clergy are targeted through criminal prosecutions, selective justice, and...
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Episode 497
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1:20:40
Arthur Khachatryan - Foreign Pressure, Attack on Church, Artsakh Repression | Ep 496, Dec 14, 2025
Groong Week in Review - December 14, 2025Topics: - Armenia between EU and Russia - Church–state confrontation in Armenia - Artsakh concessions and return debate - Economy, debt, and governance...
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Episode 496
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1:04:05
Harry Istepanian - Venezuela’s Oil and the Global Power Struggle | Ep 495, Dec 14, 2025
Conversations on Groong - December 14, 2025In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we examine how Venezuela’s vast oil reserves have become entangled in global conflict. The discussion links US pressure on Caracas to efforts t...
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Episode 495
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46:51
Benyamin Poghosyan - Pashinyan War on Armenian Church, EU-Armenia, Artsakh, Arar Poll | Ep 494, Dec 7, 2025
Groong Week in Review - December 7, 2025Topics1988 Earthquake RememberedPashinyan’s War on the Armenian ChurchEU-Armenia RelationsNagorno-Karabakh Negotiation DocumentsARAR Fo...
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Episode 494
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1:07:34
Arthur Khachikyan - OSCE MG Dissolved, Libaridian on Submission, New Constitution, Armenian Church, Prayer Breakfast, Border Commish | Ep 493, Nov 30, 2025
Groong Week in Review - November 30, 2025TopicsOSCE MG DissolvedLibaridian on Submitting to Turkey and AzerbaijanNew Constitution to be Drafted by March 2026Archbishops, Letters, Attacks ...
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Episode 493
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1:01:00
Eldar Mamedov - The Global Geopolitics Surrounding the South Caucasus | Ep 492, Dec 1, 2025
Conversations on Groong - December 1, 2025Topics:US and VenezuelaPotential for New War on IranIs Azerbaijan a “Middle Power”?Europe’s Confused Geopolitical IdentityArmenia’s C...
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Episode 492
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1:04:45
Matt Hoh - What Happened to America First, TRIPP and other US Adventures | Ep 491 - Nov 30, 2025
Conversations on Groong - November 30, 2025Topics: Venezuela Ukraine War Gaza TRIPP in ArmeniaGuest: Matthew HohHosts: ...
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Episode 491
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59:18
Joel Veldkamp - Armenia’s Prayer Breakfast and the Crackdown on the Church | Ep 490, Nov 27, 2025
Conversations on Groong - November 27, 2025Topics: Clergy Arrests in Armenia Church Under Pressure Prayer Breakfast Controversy Western Silence on Repression<...
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Episode 490
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32:05
Garen Jinbachian: OSCE HD Conference: Impunity in Baku, Repression in Yerevan | Ep 489, Nov 26, 2025
Conversations on Groong - November 26, 2025Topics:Azerbaijan’s war crimes and impunitySham trials of Artsakh leadersSilence of the OSCE and the WestArmenia’s growing political repression
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Episode 489
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43:21
Hrant Mikaelian - Ukraine Talks, Armenia’s Crackdowns, and Rising Tensions | Ep 488, Nov 23, 2025
Groong Week in Review - November 23, 2025Topics:High-Stakes Ukraine TalksArmenia’s Growing Political DetentionsPashinyan Honored In KazakhstanRising Pressure On The ChurchImpe...
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Episode 488
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1:02:40
Hayk Mamijanyan - Freedom of Speech at Risk in Armenia, Vagharshapat, RPA Strategy | Ep 487, Nov 19, 2025
Freedom of Speech at Risk in Armenia, Vagharshapat, RPA Strategy | Ep 487, Nov 19, 2025Conversations on Groong - Recorded on: November 18, 2025TopicsFreedom of Expression at Risk in ArmeniaVagharshapat M...
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Episode 487
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47:45