Groong Week in Review - June 1, 2025
In 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 regional and domestic politics. The conversation opens with rising tensions in the Ukraine war, as drone strikes reach deep into Russia, Germany lifts missile restrictions, and Trump labels Putin “crazy,” all while Iran nuclear talks remain frozen under hardline U.S. demands. The focus then shifts to the South Caucasus, where Turkish FM Hakan Fidan met Lavrov in Moscow to push the “3+3” platform and floated Istanbul as a summit venue for global powers. Meanwhile, Erdogan, Aliyev, and Pakistan’s PM Sharif staged a PR spectacle in Lachin to inaugurate a third airport in occupied Artsakh, signaling strategic realignments. Back in Armenia, the Pashinyans launched harsh verbal attacks on the Armenian Church just as Baku’s Grand Mufti claimed Etchmiadzin as Azerbaijani land, prompting questions of tacit coordination. The episode also revisits the impeachment debate versus opposition planning for the 2026 elections, probing whether security and corruption can drive real political traction. Finally, the hosts spotlight the rise of regime-aligned oligarch Narek Nalbandyan, whose sweetheart deals, state-enabled asset grabs, and government-backed expansion raise serious concerns about the erosion of anti-corruption values in Armenia today.
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
Guest: Benyamin Poghosyan
Hosts
Episode 442 | Recorded: June 2, 2025
SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/442
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/oo_B7xhOVlM
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