Armenian News Network - Groong: Week In Review Podcast

Arthur Khachatryan - Army Day, JD Vance to Armenia, TRIPP, Church, Strong Armenia Party | Ep 510, Jan 25, 2026

• Armenian News Network / Groong • Episode 510

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Groong Week in Review - January 25, 2026

Topics:

  • Memorial Day vs. Army Day
  • JD Vance to Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Armenian Church Developments
  • Strong Armenia - New Political Party

Guest: Arthur Khachatryan

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 510 | Recorded: January 27, 2026

SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/510

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/czqx5UCdFA0

#GroongWeekInReview #Armenia #RulesBasedOrder #JDVance #TRIPP #ArmenianChurch


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Asbed (00:00:04):

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Armenian News Network Groong Week in Review for January 25,

Asbed (00:00:08):

2026.

Asbed (00:00:09):

Today,

Asbed (00:00:10):

we're talking with Member of Parliament from the Hayastan Dashinq faction,

Asbed (00:00:15):

Arthur Khachatryan.

Asbed (00:00:16):

Mr. Khachatryan, welcome to the Groong Podcast.

Asbed (00:00:18):

We wish you a successful 2026.

Arthur (00:00:20):

Thank you very much for the invitation and for another opportunity to discuss many

Arthur (00:00:28):

important issues.

Arthur (00:00:30):

And likewise, we showed a very good 2026.

Arthur (00:00:34):

Especially in June.

Arthur (00:00:36):

Especially in June.

Arthur (00:00:37):

Right, right, right, right.

Arthur (00:00:38):

Hopeful.

Arthur (00:00:39):

Looking forward for changes.

Arthur (00:00:43):

Good changes because so far we've been seeing only bad changes.

Hovik (00:00:47):

Today we're recording this on January 27th still in Armenia and when we publish it

Hovik (00:00:53):

will probably be January 28th.

Hovik (00:00:55):

Those two dates are now pretty controversial because January 28th used to be the

Hovik (00:01:01):

holiday for I guess commemoration of the service in the army,

Hovik (00:01:06):

the day of the army.

Hovik (00:01:07):

I want to actually also take the opportunity to congratulate

Hovik (00:01:10):

Any listener who has served in the armed forces of Armenia,

Hovik (00:01:17):

thank you for your service,

Hovik (00:01:18):

and I want to congratulate the Armenian army as well.

Hovik (00:01:22):

But this year we have a new holiday on the calendar,

Hovik (00:01:25):

January 27,

Hovik (00:01:26):

a day before,

Hovik (00:01:27):

and it's a day of mourning.

Hovik (00:01:30):

The Pashinyan government could have chosen November 9, 10.

Hovik (00:01:35):

They could have chosen September 26.

Hovik (00:01:36):

They could have chosen one of the other days that is probably more appropriate to

Hovik (00:01:42):

solemnly remember the losses.

Hovik (00:01:45):

But now we have a January 27 on the holiday list,

Hovik (00:01:49):

which is a day for a Memorial Day,

Hovik (00:01:51):

similar to the United States,

Hovik (00:01:53):

and is more of a somber ceremony.

Hovik (00:01:55):

So,

Hovik (00:01:56):

Arthur, what are your thoughts on these dual holidays now,

Hovik (00:02:00):

January 27th and 28th,

Hovik (00:02:02):

and the controversy surrounding them?

Arthur (00:02:05):

Well, yeah, just to start with, I want to clarify our position.

Arthur (00:02:09):

Because there are lots of speculations disseminated by Pashinyan's party that the

Arthur (00:02:16):

Armenian faction and Dashnaktsutyun are against Memorial Day.

Arthur (00:02:21):

Of course, we are not against a Memorial Day.

Arthur (00:02:24):

Just the opposite.

Arthur (00:02:25):

We've been criticizing the government for neglecting the memory of our fallen

Arthur (00:02:31):

heroes, for not visiting Yerablur,

Arthur (00:02:35):

for not celebrating the Army Day properly.

Arthur (00:02:38):

You may remember that right after the defeat in January 2021,

Arthur (00:02:43):

all of a sudden,

Arthur (00:02:45):

the Armenian political and military elite got sick.

Arthur (00:02:50):

overnight and the army day was not celebrated at all.

Arthur (00:02:56):

And since then, during the last three years, the celebrations were very, very, very modest.

Arthur (00:03:04):

We haven't had any military parade since 2020, I guess.

Arthur (00:03:13):

Yeah, 2020.

Arthur (00:03:15):

So it's not true that we were against Memorial Day, not just the opposite.

Arthur (00:03:22):

However, we have very serious suspicions that this date, 27th of January, was selected by...

Arthur (00:03:32):

Ruben Rubinyan and the person who defected from our faction,

Arthur (00:03:37):

Geram Nazarian,

Arthur (00:03:38):

was selected deliberately to overshadow the army day.

Arthur (00:03:46):

What happened today?

Arthur (00:03:47):

Today in the morning, Pashinyan and his people, they went to Yarablur.

Arthur (00:03:53):

Tomorrow they won't come to Yarablur.

Arthur (00:03:56):

So what about the relatives of the fallen heroes to go there on 28th of

Arthur (00:04:03):

January that they were coming, some of them, for 30 years already to come on the 27th.

Arthur (00:04:12):

So this is a very cunning and very disgusting trick played by Pashinyan's people.

Asbed (00:04:20):

Did you see television pictures of the events?

Asbed (00:04:22):

Were there people attending or was it just government officials who attended and

Asbed (00:04:28):

did whatever commemorations at Yarablur?

Arthur (00:04:32):

The government attended,

Arthur (00:04:33):

of course,

Arthur (00:04:34):

and of course,

Arthur (00:04:35):

I believe there are people who also attended on the 27th of January.

Arthur (00:04:40):

And the brother of one of the fallen heroes were even distributing flowers for free

Arthur (00:04:46):

to the visitors of Yarablur.

Arthur (00:04:50):

That's basically what I was talking about.

Arthur (00:04:53):

They just created another dividing line in the society.

Arthur (00:05:01):

24 hours ago,

Arthur (00:05:02):

the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and its resolution about

Arthur (00:05:07):

Armenia honoring its obligations,

Arthur (00:05:11):

in this resolution they warned or expressed concern about the lack of unity,

Arthur (00:05:20):

the lack of

Arthur (00:05:22):

conquered in the society, in the division in the society.

Arthur (00:05:26):

And now Pashinyan and his people, look what they did.

Arthur (00:05:29):

This is an absolute disrespect.

Arthur (00:05:32):

This was, you know, disrespect and disgusting, again, a disgusting step.

Arthur (00:05:38):

Disrespect towards the fallen heroes,

Arthur (00:05:40):

disrespect towards the army,

Arthur (00:05:43):

and a very despicable move that they made.

Hovik (00:05:48):

It's all about memory and identity.

Hovik (00:05:51):

Every part of Pashinyan's moves.

Arthur (00:05:55):

So basically, if they stay in power, in three years, no one will celebrate the army day.

Arthur (00:06:05):

And all what he does, all what he does are in the same logic, okay?

Arthur (00:06:09):

Remember, Aliyev threatened Armenia that they will not tolerate the militarization of Armenia.

Arthur (00:06:17):

In other militarization,

Arthur (00:06:19):

they understand even buying simple machine guns with very modest budget,

Arthur (00:06:25):

though their military budget exceeds $1 billion,

Arthur (00:06:28):

about $5 billion,

Arthur (00:06:30):

if I'm not wrong.

Arthur (00:06:35):

And he threatened that they will strike if they see that Armenia is building up

Arthur (00:06:40):

its...

Asbed (00:06:42):

Its defense capabilities.

Arthur (00:06:43):

Yeah, its defense capabilities.

Arthur (00:06:46):

And following that, we see Armenia cutting its military budget, cutting the army service.

Arthur (00:06:55):

They passed a few laws basically saying that if you desert from the army, then you can pay.

Arthur (00:07:00):

They are just links in the same chain.

Arthur (00:07:04):

that Armenia is chained by Azerbaijan actually.

Hovik (00:07:09):

Well, it's interesting that you mentioned the Council of Europe report.

Hovik (00:07:15):

We won't probably cover that much today, but we'll cover it next week.

Hovik (00:07:20):

But I do want to take you to another international event that happened last week.

Hovik (00:07:25):

which was the World Economic Forum WEF annual meeting that was placed in Davos.

Hovik (00:07:30):

And it was a location for some unusual truth coming out.

Hovik (00:07:37):

For instance, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said the quiet part out loud.

Hovik (00:07:41):

He said that rules-based international order was a myth.

Hovik (00:07:46):

And that was because the strong powers exempt themselves when it suits them.

Hovik (00:07:52):

Trade rules get enforced unevenly and international law often depends on who is the

Hovik (00:07:57):

accused and who is the victim.

Hovik (00:07:59):

To many Armenians, I think these words were not a surprise at all, but still a rare admission.

Hovik (00:08:05):

Pashirin has always blamed this crumbling world order for his own failures and treason.

Hovik (00:08:12):

But the question for us is not whether this myth is true or not.

Hovik (00:08:16):

but how a small country like Armenia can navigate a system such as the one that is depicted.

Hovik (00:08:25):

When we take a look at things objectively,

Hovik (00:08:28):

what could Armenia have done better in the last,

Hovik (00:08:31):

let's say,

Hovik (00:08:32):

five,

Hovik (00:08:33):

ten years?

Hovik (00:08:35):

And is it not true that we're simply living in an age when the strong do what they

Hovik (00:08:41):

can and the weak suffer what they must?

Hovik (00:08:43):

That's a quote from Theucydides.

Hovik (00:08:46):

Well, yeah, a few observations.

Arthur (00:08:48):

First of all,

Arthur (00:08:50):

yeah, of course,

Arthur (00:08:51):

we see that the world that was established after World War II,

Arthur (00:08:57):

and which was formalized in the Helsinki Final Act,

Arthur (00:09:02):

that regulate the relations between the states,

Arthur (00:09:04):

at least in Europe,

Arthur (00:09:07):

it doesn't exist anymore because these laws,

Arthur (00:09:11):

these principles were at least injecting some certainty in international relations,

Arthur (00:09:16):

though obviously the strong party was always right and the weak party was always

Arthur (00:09:21):

wrong.

Arthur (00:09:24):

Obviously.

Arthur (00:09:25):

However, there was at least some certainty.

Arthur (00:09:28):

There was at least formally, there were international laws that were at least formally followed.

Arthur (00:09:36):

And now we don't know.

Arthur (00:09:38):

This world has been dismantled.

Arthur (00:09:40):

Actually, this world has started dismantling with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Arthur (00:09:46):

But now we do not have anything from the, let me call it Helsinki-style world.

Arthur (00:09:52):

This is peace through strength,

Arthur (00:09:55):

which means if you are strong,

Arthur (00:09:56):

then you are right,

Arthur (00:09:58):

then you are correct.

Arthur (00:09:59):

That's it.

Arthur (00:10:01):

So, practically, what does this mean?

Arthur (00:10:03):

When we tell Pashinyan, any guarantees that Azerbaijan will respect its signature,

Arthur (00:10:14):

any guarantee that the war will not break up again,

Arthur (00:10:18):

Pashinyan says the only guarantee is the legitimacy.

Arthur (00:10:23):

Our policy is following the legitimacy and if our demands are legitimate,

Arthur (00:10:30):

then international world order will be on our side.

Arthur (00:10:34):

They will not allow Azerbaijan to bridge its weight.

Arthur (00:10:42):

This means that

Arthur (00:10:44):

without any proper international guarantees and guarantors,

Arthur (00:10:50):

whatever piece of paper Pashinyan science with Aliyev can be violated before the

Arthur (00:10:57):

ink dries up on this paper.

Arthur (00:11:00):

Right.

Arthur (00:11:01):

Secondly,

Arthur (00:11:02):

when we say that,

Arthur (00:11:03):

okay, you know,

Arthur (00:11:04):

this point,

Arthur (00:11:05):

this point,

Arthur (00:11:06):

and the other point,

Arthur (00:11:07):

they are against Armenia's

Arthur (00:11:09):

uh national interest why did you sign it or why aren't you talking about the right

Arthur (00:11:15):

of arminians of arts or to return to their homeland they said okay this will cause

Arthur (00:11:19):

the escalation of the situation and can provoke another war basically they

Arthur (00:11:26):

confessed and there is no international law because international law doesn't

Arthur (00:11:31):

prohibit one of the parties to uh to advocate for its legitimate rights

Arthur (00:11:37):

If they said,

Arthur (00:11:38):

okay, we say that means that have the right of return because this is just human rights

Arthur (00:11:45):

issues,

Arthur (00:11:46):

and Azerbaijan will strike again,

Arthur (00:11:49):

this means they admit that there is no international law.

Arthur (00:11:53):

And if there is no international law, what kind of legitimacy they are speaking about?

Arthur (00:11:58):

Yeah, this shows that they basically are just masters of manipulation,

Arthur (00:12:05):

and they can,

Arthur (00:12:06):

while they need,

Arthur (00:12:07):

they will say about the legitimacy.

Arthur (00:12:09):

If they don't,

Arthur (00:12:11):

on other occasions,

Arthur (00:12:12):

they will say that no law works,

Arthur (00:12:14):

so we have to take into account the situation that has been established on the

Arthur (00:12:19):

ground.

Arthur (00:12:22):

Regarding this situation, what happened in Davos,

Arthur (00:12:27):

Well, this document that, you know, the peace board was established.

Arthur (00:12:35):

Pashinyan was one of the co-signatories of this board.

Arthur (00:12:40):

Well, from the first approximation, this embodied as Ken.

Arthur (00:12:46):

or may replace the United Nations.

Arthur (00:12:50):

I don't know.

Arthur (00:12:51):

Let's live and see.

Arthur (00:12:53):

What Romania can do, what small nations can do?

Arthur (00:12:56):

Well, there are not too many options.

Arthur (00:12:58):

First of the options, to be as flexible as possible,

Arthur (00:13:02):

to run the complementary policies,

Arthur (00:13:06):

trying to navigate in these stormy waters,

Arthur (00:13:11):

or to stick with a powerful party.

Arthur (00:13:14):

trying to find a guarantor of safety and security of Armenia.

Arthur (00:13:20):

Just look what Cyprus does right these days.

Arthur (00:13:25):

However, when we're talking about complementarity,

Arthur (00:13:27):

we talk about the fair relations,

Arthur (00:13:30):

honest relations with the partners.

Arthur (00:13:33):

Okay, you cannot go to Eurasia Trade Union and Eurasia Customs Union or Economic Union

Arthur (00:13:41):

and say how important the Eurasian Economic Union is for Armenia.

Arthur (00:13:46):

And they go to,

Arthur (00:13:47):

well, we understand Eurasian Economic Union is Russian Federation because the trade

Arthur (00:13:52):

between Armenian and Belarus or Armenian,

Arthur (00:13:57):

Kazakhstan, Armenian,

Arthur (00:13:58):

Kyrgyzstan is just negligible.

Arthur (00:14:01):

and then go to Brussels and say,

Arthur (00:14:03):

okay,

Arthur (00:14:04):

that Russia's launching a hybrid war against Armenia,

Arthur (00:14:08):

and then going and,

Arthur (00:14:10):

you know, inviting Trump to come to the south of Armenia and offer a very questionable deal

Arthur (00:14:18):

that I believe we cannot speak about that anymore.

Arthur (00:14:24):

until we see the old documents and until all these agreements that were they've

Arthur (00:14:29):

reached with the American side become clear because today what Pashinyan does he

Arthur (00:14:34):

plays a very very risky game again okay you cannot have love affair with Russians

Arthur (00:14:40):

one day and on the next day to have a love affair with Iran and then with France

Arthur (00:14:44):

and then with Trump

Hovik (00:14:46):

You know,

Arthur (00:14:48):

now it's not only Russia versus collective West,

Arthur (00:14:51):

but now,

Arthur (00:14:53):

you know, what's happening in the collective West,

Arthur (00:14:57):

okay?

Arthur (00:14:58):

Speech of the Canadian president,

Arthur (00:14:59):

reaction of the American president,

Arthur (00:15:02):

speech of the French president,

Arthur (00:15:06):

tariffs against,

Arthur (00:15:07):

you know, the U.S.

Arthur (00:15:08):

imposes tariffs against the United Kingdom.

Arthur (00:15:11):

But in these stormy days,

Arthur (00:15:17):

what Pashinan shall do at least to ensure the harmony and stability inside the

Arthur (00:15:23):

country,

Arthur (00:15:25):

but stormy waters and he shakes the boat.

Arthur (00:15:28):

So the chances that the boat will sink under his captainship are very high.

Asbed (00:15:36):

Yeah.

Asbed (00:15:37):

Arthur, since we're talking about Davos,

Asbed (00:15:40):

let's talk a little bit about the fact that after his meeting with Aliyev,

Asbed (00:15:44):

Donald Trump announced that Vice President J.D.

Asbed (00:15:46):

Vance would visit Armenia, and then he added also Azerbaijan in February.

Asbed (00:15:52):

The focus for Armenia is going to center on transitioning the country away from its

Asbed (00:15:56):

reliance on Russia

Asbed (00:15:58):

towards a deeper economic and technological alliance with the West.

Asbed (00:16:02):

Meanwhile,

Asbed (00:16:03):

the agenda for Azerbaijan seems to emphasize the role as a regional hub of energy

Asbed (00:16:10):

and military cooperation.

Asbed (00:16:11):

The context of this visit, we all know, is the trip

Asbed (00:16:15):

the Trump route through Syunik,

Asbed (00:16:18):

which is designed to bypass Russia and Iran,

Asbed (00:16:21):

allowing goods and energy and possibly military to flow between Central Asia and

Asbed (00:16:26):

Turkey and Europe under Western supervision.

Asbed (00:16:29):

And the funny thing is that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has referred to all this

Asbed (00:16:34):

arrangement as a model for the world.

Asbed (00:16:37):

So the cooperation with Armenia is about peaceful nuclear cooperation,

Asbed (00:16:42):

semiconductor manufacturing,

Asbed (00:16:44):

energy grid integration.

Asbed (00:16:46):

And they're talking about energy grid integration between Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Armenia.

Asbed (00:16:51):

So it's more of an east-west alignment.

Asbed (00:16:53):

And for Azerbaijan, it's going to be strategic partnership, defense equipment sales.

Asbed (00:16:58):

And we all know that Trump has basically waived Section 907 and is trying to sell

Asbed (00:17:04):

made-in-USA defense centers.

Asbed (00:17:06):

weaponry to Azerbaijan, and also semiconductor initiatives.

Asbed (00:17:10):

So that's kind of a unifying factor.

Asbed (00:17:12):

The question is,

Asbed (00:17:13):

was Azerbaijan simply added to a visit that Vance was going to make to Armenia,

Asbed (00:17:18):

or was that the plan all along?

Asbed (00:17:20):

How do you assess these various cooperations that we just mentioned?

Asbed (00:17:24):

And is there a fair and balanced approach by the United States to the South Caucasus' issues?

Arthur (00:17:30):

Well, to start with,

Arthur (00:17:31):

I can't answer to one of your questions because I really don't know whether the

Arthur (00:17:35):

trip to Azerbaijan was initially on the agenda or not.

Arthur (00:17:39):

I really don't know because the information about possible visit by J.D.

Arthur (00:17:44):

Vance appeared only in Armenian media resources.

Arthur (00:17:48):

It was a leakage by Armenian government, obviously, because before the...

Arthur (00:17:54):

confirmation that President Trump's confirmation, there was no word from the U.S.

Arthur (00:18:01):

part that J.D.

Arthur (00:18:02):

Vance will be visiting Armenia.

Arthur (00:18:04):

What we know is that,

Arthur (00:18:06):

you know, Trump said that he was dispatching his vice president to Armenia and to Azerbaijan.

Arthur (00:18:12):

Now, this is in Azerbaijan.

Arthur (00:18:15):

they will have also the security arrangements and you know if you sell weapons to a

Arthur (00:18:21):

party obviously it's not just a deal in the grocery shop you sell your

Arthur (00:18:28):

military boats, and that's it.

Arthur (00:18:29):

So it means they are strengthening the military cooperation between the United

Arthur (00:18:33):

States and Azerbaijan.

Arthur (00:18:35):

What about Armenia?

Arthur (00:18:37):

This is another interesting thing.

Arthur (00:18:39):

Okay.

Arthur (00:18:40):

So it's a multifaceted question.

Arthur (00:18:42):

First of all, TRIP.

Arthur (00:18:45):

What Azerbaijan has to do with TRIP?

Arthur (00:18:48):

Okay. This is a bilateral issue.

Arthur (00:18:51):

a corridor because remember when Marco Rubio first spoke about

Arthur (00:18:56):

his upcoming with meeting with our at Mirzoyan he used this word uh a corridor so

Arthur (00:19:03):

obviously Mirzoyan just begged him to remove that word however if you compare

Arthur (00:19:09):

The vocabulary, the definition of a corridor, it exactly matches what trip is.

Arthur (00:19:17):

It's a multi-model piece of land with multi-model lines of communication.

Arthur (00:19:22):

So it was just really a corridor.

Arthur (00:19:26):

Who will be controlling corridor?

Arthur (00:19:28):

Not Armenians.

Arthur (00:19:30):

Okay.

Arthur (00:19:31):

You know, there's a front office, back office.

Asbed (00:19:34):

Yeah, it's all BS, I'm sorry to say.

Asbed (00:19:37):

This is all just dust in the eyes of the Armenian people.

Asbed (00:19:41):

Yeah, true.

Asbed (00:19:42):

What you said is the bottom line.

Asbed (00:19:43):

It's not going to be Armenians who control it.

Arthur (00:19:46):

It's not going to be Armenians.

Arthur (00:19:47):

So I think they are very happy because they're going to sell it to Armenian public

Arthur (00:19:54):

that better be Americans than Algerians.

Arthur (00:19:57):

Better be Armenians only, actually.

Arthur (00:20:00):

Anyway, so 24% or 26% will belong to the Armenian Party, 74% will belong to the American Party.

Arthur (00:20:06):

But two very important issues, okay?

Arthur (00:20:15):

Why on earth they are going to discuss this with Azerbaijan?

Arthur (00:20:18):

This is infrastructure on the territory of Armenia.

Arthur (00:20:21):

And second, even if the rails of the railway are built,

Arthur (00:20:27):

even if they use gold to,

Arthur (00:20:30):

you know,

Arthur (00:20:31):

to weld the rails,

Arthur (00:20:35):

Okay?

Arthur (00:20:36):

It still doesn't open up the communication for Armenia.

Arthur (00:20:41):

It still doesn't leave the blockade for Armenia.

Asbed (00:20:44):

Right.

Arthur (00:20:44):

And if you compare this document with the one that was signed between Aliyev and

Arthur (00:20:49):

Pashinyan,

Arthur (00:20:50):

Armenia promised unhindered access.

Arthur (00:20:53):

Azerbaijan promised mutual benefits.

Arthur (00:20:57):

And we've been warning that, okay, well, this mutual benefit can be anything.

Arthur (00:21:02):

starting from just payment for transit to, you know, other anything.

Arthur (00:21:10):

We don't know. Today what we see,

Arthur (00:21:11):

today what we see,

Arthur (00:21:12):

Armenia promised a corridor on hindered access so that Azeri Jews can pass through

Arthur (00:21:18):

Armenia without being controlled,

Arthur (00:21:22):

at least by Armenian party.

Arthur (00:21:24):

What we get from Azerbaijan?

Arthur (00:21:27):

Transit, okay?

Arthur (00:21:28):

We buy petrol from Azerbaijan.

Arthur (00:21:31):

I mean oil, gasoline, which is beneficial for Azeri economy.

Arthur (00:21:37):

Azerbaijan allows to use its territory for transit, which is again beneficial to Azeri economy.

Arthur (00:21:44):

That's it.

Arthur (00:21:46):

No lifting of the blockade.

Arthur (00:21:48):

If they want to lift the blockade,

Arthur (00:21:51):

first of all,

Arthur (00:21:52):

they need to grant us access through Nakhijevan from Syunik to Ararat region.

Arthur (00:21:58):

Exactly at the same terms and conditions that we offer to Azerbaijan.

Arthur (00:22:03):

And also from Ijevan to Gaza to north and to east to the Caspian Sea and to Russian rail system.

Arthur (00:22:14):

But we don't see that.

Arthur (00:22:15):

This was the question that I asked Pashinyan at the National Assembly,

Arthur (00:22:18):

because the logic lies,

Asbed (00:22:19):

okay?

Asbed (00:22:20):

I want to remind, Arthur, that this was already a big retreat.

Asbed (00:22:23):

What you're saying is already a huge retreat from the original ideas of 2020,

Asbed (00:22:28):

where the exchange of rights and privileges was going to be between the latching

Asbed (00:22:32):

corridor and...

Asbed (00:22:33):

Oh, yeah,

Asbed (00:22:34):

absolutely, absolutely.

Arthur (00:22:35):

This is a huge... Right?

Arthur (00:22:37):

This is very true, this most painful issue, actually, because if you read this document...

Arthur (00:22:43):

There were two corridors, the one that links Yerevan with Stepanakert.

Arthur (00:22:48):

Azerbaijan promised not to,

Arthur (00:22:52):

well, not to attack the corridor and Russians promised to guarantee the safety of the

Arthur (00:22:58):

vehicles or,

Arthur (00:23:00):

you know, the population,

Asbed (00:23:02):

etc.

Hovik (00:23:03):

Yeah.

Arthur (00:23:03):

No,

Arthur (00:23:04):

but basically they promised they will ensure the safety of the cargo and the people

Arthur (00:23:09):

and the passengers.

Arthur (00:23:10):

And Armenia has a similar pledge, okay?

Arthur (00:23:13):

They will open up Syunik for goods and cargo passing from Nakhijevan to Baku,

Arthur (00:23:22):

and Russians have the same promise.

Arthur (00:23:25):

Now what they did,

Arthur (00:23:27):

for three years,

Arthur (00:23:28):

Armenia rejected to implement its promise,

Arthur (00:23:35):

to deliver on its promise,

Arthur (00:23:37):

and I think this was the major reason why Azeris launched this offensive against

Arthur (00:23:42):

Artsakh in September 23,

Arthur (00:23:44):

and the Russians basically did nothing.

Arthur (00:23:47):

Yeah, otherwise, if Pashinyan stuck to his promise, then we would have Artsakh today.

Arthur (00:23:56):

The corridor would be functioning.

Arthur (00:23:57):

People would be living in Artsakh,

Arthur (00:23:59):

and Azaris would be just crossing through Armenia,

Arthur (00:24:04):

not unhindered.

Arthur (00:24:06):

And the Russians will be part of the security system.

Arthur (00:24:09):

But at least, but again, okay, we will have Artsakh there.

Asbed (00:24:14):

Yeah.

Arthur (00:24:14):

That's the story.

Arthur (00:24:15):

Today is a completely different situation.

Arthur (00:24:18):

And you talked about the energy system.

Arthur (00:24:20):

If we have a unified energy system like Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, okay?

Arthur (00:24:26):

Armenia's energy system is the smallest and the weakest one.

Arthur (00:24:29):

Basically, this means you'll be subject to Azeri energy blackmail.

Arthur (00:24:36):

Okay? If you hook with a lot bigger energy system, you become part of that.

Arthur (00:24:42):

You'll be game taker.

Arthur (00:24:44):

You won't be game maker.

Arthur (00:24:46):

So Azerbaijan's influence over Armenia will be multiplied.

Arthur (00:24:53):

So this is a very, very risky game.

Arthur (00:24:56):

And look what Pashinyan did.

Arthur (00:24:58):

He started buying

Arthur (00:25:00):

gasoline from Azerbaijan up subsidized prices and the word is okay look it's peace

Arthur (00:25:06):

already normal trade relations and as a result we'll see that the prices for

Arthur (00:25:11):

gasoline and diesel have gone down now if you buy gas or electricity from

Arthur (00:25:16):

Azerbaijan the prices for gas and for electricity will go down but again this will

Arthur (00:25:22):

be a very very powerful lever in the hands of Azerbaijan

Asbed (00:25:26):

Arthur, this energy thing that you're talking about is very important.

Asbed (00:25:30):

When you said subsidized prices, who is subsidizing these prices?

Asbed (00:25:35):

Is it the Armenian government?

Asbed (00:25:36):

Is it the Azerbaijani government?

Asbed (00:25:38):

Who is putting the money in?

Asbed (00:25:39):

I don't know.

Asbed (00:25:40):

Maybe…

Arthur (00:25:42):

Maybe the guy who imports the gasoline subsidiaries that pays from out of his own

Arthur (00:25:47):

pocket,

Arthur (00:25:48):

because he's a member of parliament from civil contract party,

Arthur (00:25:53):

many- Why would they do this?

Asbed (00:25:56):

Why are they putting money out of their pockets?

Arthur (00:26:00):

I think this guy has made big money being part of Pashinyan's faction,

Arthur (00:26:09):

and being in close relations with Pashinyan, and now he pays back.

Arthur (00:26:12):

Because otherwise, okay, look what's happening, okay?

Arthur (00:26:17):

The Azeri gasoline is a small fraction of the gasoline that's sold in Armenian market.

Arthur (00:26:22):

However, this brought the prices down.

Arthur (00:26:26):

Contrary to the fact that the prices for crude oil during the last month has gone up, okay?

Arthur (00:26:32):

So the prices in the other chains has gone down too.

Arthur (00:26:39):

So this means that the other big guys, they were making larger profits.

Arthur (00:26:43):

And the anti-monopoly watchdog was doing nothing.

Arthur (00:26:46):

And also,

Arthur (00:26:47):

there's a rumor on the streets that small petrol stations were forced,

Arthur (00:26:54):

are forced,

Arthur (00:26:55):

are being forced by Pashinyan's regime to sell Azeri gasoline.

Arthur (00:27:02):

Okay? It's cheaper?

Arthur (00:27:03):

Yes, it's cheaper.

Arthur (00:27:04):

You know, but like, how cheap is it?

Arthur (00:27:06):

Like 10%, 15%.

Arthur (00:27:09):

What Azerbaijan gets instead, full control over Armenia.

Arthur (00:27:15):

Second,

Arthur (00:27:19):

The type of gasoline this guy imports from Azerbaijan is not refined in Azerbaijan.

Arthur (00:27:25):

It's not manufactured in Azerbaijan.

Arthur (00:27:27):

This means they buy from something in Azerbaijan that was not made in Azerbaijan.

Arthur (00:27:33):

Isn't it Russian, basically?

Arthur (00:27:36):

I'm not sure. It can be Russian.

Arthur (00:27:38):

It can be Russian.

Arthur (00:27:39):

It can be from Central Asia.

Arthur (00:27:40):

It can be from, I don't know, Bulgaria.

Arthur (00:27:43):

Romania, not Iran, definitely.

Asbed (00:27:46):

We've talked before that Azerbaijan barely has enough refinery capacity for itself.

Asbed (00:27:51):

Actually, it doesn't even.

Asbed (00:27:53):

So whatever gasoline that we're getting for consumption at the people's level is

Asbed (00:27:57):

definitely coming from somewhere else.

Asbed (00:27:59):

So we are not actually removing any kind of dependency on Russia or other countries.

Asbed (00:28:04):

It's just we're adding a transit dependency on Azerbaijan.

Arthur (00:28:08):

It's transit dependency and energy dependence.

Arthur (00:28:12):

Because like,

Arthur (00:28:13):

okay, we're talking about building a pipeline with Iran,

Arthur (00:28:16):

building electricity-wise between Armenia,

Arthur (00:28:21):

transmission lines between Armenia and Iran,

Arthur (00:28:24):

Armenia and Georgia.

Arthur (00:28:25):

If you hook up with Azerbaijan and Turkey,

Arthur (00:28:29):

then you don't need to have another pipeline from Iran or swap deal with Iran or

Arthur (00:28:36):

swap deal with Georgia.

Arthur (00:28:40):

And this has been...

Arthur (00:28:41):

Because we're not doing anything for the last three, four years.

Asbed (00:28:46):

Yeah.

Arthur (00:28:47):

Okay? And when asked,

Arthur (00:28:48):

okay, when are you going to complete construction of the second wireline between Armenia

Arthur (00:28:53):

and Iran? Okay, tomorrow, the day after, next week.

Asbed (00:28:56):

This just never ends.

Arthur (00:28:58):

Yeah, that's true.

Asbed (00:28:58):

Yeah.

Asbed (00:28:59):

Arthur,

Asbed (00:29:00):

we mentioned a little bit earlier that the trip is essentially designed by the

Asbed (00:29:04):

West,

Asbed (00:29:05):

in their own words,

Asbed (00:29:06):

to bypass Russia and Iran.

Asbed (00:29:09):

What is your expectation of how they are going to react to all of these things,

Asbed (00:29:14):

if not in the immediate term but in the long term?

Asbed (00:29:17):

Are they going to sit by and watch their influence be eroded?

Arthur (00:29:22):

And what are going to be the consequences to Armenia?

Arthur (00:29:27):

The reaction from Iran was immediate.

Arthur (00:29:31):

On the same morning,

Arthur (00:29:32):

the newly appointed ambassador to Armenia raised the concerns of his government

Arthur (00:29:39):

about the trip and about the consequences not only for Iran,

Arthur (00:29:43):

but for Armenia-Iran relations.

Arthur (00:29:46):

And we understand that if Iran shuts its borders and doesn't allow Armenians to use

Arthur (00:29:51):

its territory for transit,

Arthur (00:29:53):

this will be a catastrophe for Armenia.

Arthur (00:29:56):

I don't know how Russians are going to react.

Arthur (00:29:58):

They sent signals saying that, okay, Armenia is part of Eurasian Economic Union and the borders.

Arthur (00:30:08):

And so basically they have to follow the rules and regulations of Eurasian Economic Union.

Arthur (00:30:13):

Others,

Arthur (00:30:14):

besides that,

Arthur (00:30:16):

Armenia is part of Commonwealth of Independent States and the Russian forces are on

Arthur (00:30:22):

the external borders of the CIS.

Arthur (00:30:26):

So this means that Russia clearly sends its signals that it's very,

Arthur (00:30:31):

very concerned about what's going to happen.

Arthur (00:30:35):

What can they do?

Arthur (00:30:36):

I really don't know. I think they are very preoccupied today with Ukraine.

Arthur (00:30:41):

What will happen next?

Arthur (00:30:43):

I really don't know.

Arthur (00:30:44):

I really don't know.

Arthur (00:30:46):

So this is what I was talking about.

Arthur (00:30:47):

Armenia has to be fair and honest with its partners.

Arthur (00:30:51):

Now what they do,

Arthur (00:30:52):

okay,

Arthur (00:30:53):

they will, you know,

Arthur (00:30:54):

on the 5th of February,

Arthur (00:30:56):

Arlen Simonian will go to St.

Arthur (00:30:57):

Petersburg.

Arthur (00:30:58):

We'll meet with the management of the leadership of the Russian Duma.

Arthur (00:31:03):

Of course, promises and pledges and friendship and nice toasts.

Arthur (00:31:09):

And then they will go to Brussels and then they will go to Tehran and to Washington.

Arthur (00:31:14):

And we'll have a completely different repertoire.

Arthur (00:31:19):

this is extremely risky.

Arthur (00:31:24):

You lose the image of a trustworthy partner.

Arthur (00:31:29):

We have to be consistent.

Hovik (00:31:30):

Yeah.

Hovik (00:31:32):

With regard to this visit by Vance,

Hovik (00:31:34):

Arthur,

Hovik (00:31:35):

I mean,

Hovik (00:31:37):

there are many aspects that are paradoxical or self-contradictory in the Trump

Hovik (00:31:43):

government.

Hovik (00:31:44):

But one of them,

Hovik (00:31:45):

you know,

Hovik (00:31:46):

one of the aspects that Trump is really pushing forward and Vance is...

Hovik (00:31:52):

has basically accepted is that they are a guardian of Christians and Christianity

Hovik (00:31:59):

in fact I even see I even see documents like strategic documents mention defense of

Hovik (00:32:04):

Christianity around the world now

Hovik (00:32:09):

When he comes here and when he goes to Baku,

Hovik (00:32:13):

you know,

Hovik (00:32:14):

we have dozens of Christian Armenians in Baku's prisons.

Hovik (00:32:18):

We have four bishops in prison in Armenia and an entire church being persecuted.

Hovik (00:32:29):

What can the opposition expect from Vance's visit to maybe help reduce the

Hovik (00:32:34):

persecution of the church and Christian Armenians?

Hovik (00:32:37):

I mean, is there anything that Vance can do about that?

Hovik (00:32:39):

Is there any leverage that we can use in the opposition to help bring awareness in

Hovik (00:32:46):

front of Vance?

Arthur (00:32:49):

Well,

Arthur (00:32:50):

obviously,

Arthur (00:32:51):

Armenian lobbying organizations,

Arthur (00:32:54):

mainly the Armenian National Committee of America,

Arthur (00:32:57):

they will lobby J.D.

Arthur (00:32:58):

Vance to press on Trump to release the Armenians that are held in jails in Baku.

Arthur (00:33:09):

because acting as a terrorist organization look what terrorists do okay they keep

Arthur (00:33:14):

they take hostages they put for their political demands and then they release like

Arthur (00:33:20):

one two three of the hostages for partial satisfaction of their demands it's

Arthur (00:33:25):

exactly what we see a week ago 10 days ago or two weeks ago

Arthur (00:33:31):

Four Armenian prisoners kept in Baku were exchanged with two Syrian terrorists that

Arthur (00:33:40):

were kept in Armenian prisoners.

Arthur (00:33:42):

They were mercenaries who fought in Artsakh who killed Armenian soldiers.

Arthur (00:33:47):

While these four people, you know, there was nothing against them.

Arthur (00:33:53):

They haven't done anything wrong.

Arthur (00:33:56):

So I'm afraid...

Arthur (00:33:58):

Maximum what Baku will do,

Arthur (00:34:00):

they will release a few more non-politically exposed prisoners,

Arthur (00:34:07):

and they will package that as an expression of goodwill.

Arthur (00:34:12):

And Pashinyan will grab this opportunity,

Arthur (00:34:14):

and he will talk inside the country that you see the pieces here,

Arthur (00:34:19):

and as a sign,

Arthur (00:34:20):

and one of the signs of the pieces that Baku has released,

Arthur (00:34:24):

a few more Armenian prisoners however when we talk about three ex-presidents of

Arthur (00:34:29):

Artsakh republic the state minister I mean Ruben Vardanyan and the and the speaker

Arthur (00:34:35):

of the national assembly of uh republic of Artsakh and the other people former you

Arthur (00:34:41):

know ministers chief commander and so on i'm afraid uh

Arthur (00:34:47):

I'm not very hopeful with that.

Arthur (00:34:50):

So this means that the prisoner's issue should be dealt in a package.

Arthur (00:34:56):

In a package because, you know, he will release five people.

Arthur (00:35:00):

Everyone will be happy.

Arthur (00:35:01):

What about the rest?

Arthur (00:35:04):

Let me remind you that in August,

Arthur (00:35:08):

President Trump spoke about 23 Christians in Azeri jails and Pashinyan

Arthur (00:35:14):

persuaded him not to raise decision.

Arthur (00:35:17):

So the problem is not only Aliyev, but Pashinyan too.

Arthur (00:35:21):

Yeah.

Hovik (00:35:22):

So,

Hovik (00:35:24):

very quickly, Arthur,

Hovik (00:35:27):

amidst all this attack on the church,

Hovik (00:35:31):

the Catholicos had announced that there would be an Episcopal Assembly back in

Hovik (00:35:35):

December,

Hovik (00:35:36):

which would discuss all these issues,

Hovik (00:35:38):

and there was a lot of expectations.

Hovik (00:35:40):

It was canceled abruptly, reportedly due to concerns that the safety of the bishops...

Hovik (00:35:45):

would be compromised, who were attending the conference.

Hovik (00:35:48):

And last week, Ethcmiadzin announced that the conference now will be held in St.

Hovik (00:35:52):

Pölten, Austria, between February 16 and 19.

Hovik (00:35:58):

Pashinyan's Council to Reform the Church,

Hovik (00:36:00):

which is led by Pashinyan and 10 renegade bishops,

Hovik (00:36:03):

condemned that,

Hovik (00:36:04):

saying it's unlawful.

Hovik (00:36:05):

But some bishops on that council said that they would attend, actually.

Hovik (00:36:10):

So Hovnan Derderian

Hovik (00:36:12):

is one of them who said that despite being part of this uh council to reform the

Hovik (00:36:16):

church said he would attend meanwhile Ethcmiadzin says there is nothing uh wrong with

Hovik (00:36:22):

uh there's nothing violating the church canon in holding this event outside Armenia

Hovik (00:36:27):

but i think it's we should say that this is a big deal because the last time this

Hovik (00:36:31):

was done was in the soviet era when catholic horses were being strangled to death

Hovik (00:36:37):

And I believe in the 1950s in Egypt,

Hovik (00:36:41):

like I think that that's when the last time this has happened.

Hovik (00:36:44):

What is your assessment of this development?

Hovik (00:36:47):

And is it possible that the Armenian government could try to hinder this council

Hovik (00:36:51):

from happening in Austria?

Arthur (00:36:54):

Well, I think that the bishops' assembly were held

Arthur (00:37:00):

Not only,

Arthur (00:37:01):

outside of Armenia,

Arthur (00:37:02):

not only in the Soviet era,

Arthur (00:37:03):

I think about 10 years ago they had one,

Arthur (00:37:06):

at least in,

Arthur (00:37:08):

I think in 2016 there was an assembly that was held outside of Armenia.

Arthur (00:37:13):

The Armenian church is not,

Arthur (00:37:17):

you know, it's not only a Republic of Armenia church,

Arthur (00:37:20):

it's Pan-Armenian church and they are free to help their assemblies anywhere they

Arthur (00:37:25):

want.

Arthur (00:37:26):

Of course, initially they planned to hold that in Armenia.

Arthur (00:37:31):

And they had serious suspicions that Pashinyan will try to interfere and will try

Arthur (00:37:42):

to spoil,

Arthur (00:37:44):

let me say this,

Arthur (00:37:45):

for this conference.

Arthur (00:37:47):

So this is why, to be on the safe side, they decided to move it to Austria.

Arthur (00:37:53):

There is nothing illegal there.

Arthur (00:37:56):

Church can hold its assemblies anywhere they find appropriate.

Arthur (00:38:04):

And obviously,

Arthur (00:38:05):

outside of Armenia means less chances of interference by Pashinyan,

Arthur (00:38:12):

because imagine he will gather his crowd,

Arthur (00:38:15):

his provoker,

Arthur (00:38:17):

his...

Arthur (00:38:19):

These renegades,

Arthur (00:38:21):

led by these renegades,

Arthur (00:38:22):

actually led by Pashinyan,

Arthur (00:38:25):

he has the police on his service,

Arthur (00:38:27):

his personal police.

Arthur (00:38:29):

So I think it was a very,

Arthur (00:38:30):

very correct decision to have this assembly away from Pashinyan in a calm and quiet

Arthur (00:38:37):

environment and to decide on all aspects,

Arthur (00:38:41):

on all problems that the church faces today.

Arthur (00:38:44):

Because look...

Arthur (00:38:45):

you know uh three archbishops one bishop they are in jail uh the detention of one

Arthur (00:38:53):

archbishop and one bishop was extended a few days ago uh Catholicos his brother is

Arthur (00:39:00):

in jail uh in this situation it's it will be law it won't be logical to have that

Arthur (00:39:08):

assembly in Armenia

Asbed (00:39:11):

From the religious realm to the political realm,

Asbed (00:39:15):

Samvel Garabedian's continued incarceration,

Asbed (00:39:18):

which has led to the birth of the Mer Dzevov movement,

Asbed (00:39:21):

has now led to the spawning of a new political party.

Asbed (00:39:24):

They're calling it Strong Armenia.

Asbed (00:39:26):

Samvel Karapetyan's nephew,

Asbed (00:39:28):

Narek Karapetyan,

Asbed (00:39:29):

announced this past week that Merz Dzevov established a new party called Strong

Asbed (00:39:32):

Armenia and it will participate in the June elections.

Asbed (00:39:35):

We don't know exactly who their leader is going to be.

Asbed (00:39:38):

It's probably Narek himself, but they're going to announce at a founding... In tune, please.

Asbed (00:39:45):

yeah on February 12, I think, that they are going to have a founding congress and

Asbed (00:39:48):

they're going to announce it what do you think about this uh give us give us your

Asbed (00:39:52):

thoughts about Strong Armenia what it means for the elections and I want to know

Asbed (00:39:57):

also of course because nobody has closed any kind of uh avenues for cooperation uh

Asbed (00:40:04):

if everybody's goals are aligning and um yeah just tell us a little bit about what

Arthur (00:40:08):

your thoughts are well uh

Arthur (00:40:11):

you know, they created a new party.

Arthur (00:40:14):

They want to participate in the elections.

Arthur (00:40:16):

They are on anti-Parshinyan side.

Arthur (00:40:18):

They're on the, you know, correct side of the force.

Arthur (00:40:24):

So we welcome their participation in elections and in the political life of the

Arthur (00:40:29):

Republic of Armenia.

Arthur (00:40:33):

I can speak about our position.

Arthur (00:40:35):

Okay, the opposition parties,

Arthur (00:40:39):

shall participate in large blocks so that the votes are not get lost.

Arthur (00:40:47):

Because remember in 21, what happened?

Arthur (00:40:49):

26 parties participated in the elections.

Arthur (00:40:54):

20 were from the opposition.

Arthur (00:40:55):

They didn't pass a threshold and the majority of their votes were credited to Pashinyan.

Arthur (00:41:01):

Pashinyan was 53 point something during the election.

Arthur (00:41:07):

He got 65% in the parliament.

Arthur (00:41:09):

So we call on opposition parties to unite,

Arthur (00:41:14):

to participate with large blocs,

Arthur (00:41:16):

and we call them to follow certain rules,

Arthur (00:41:20):

not to target each other,

Arthur (00:41:22):

to ensure that the elections are free and fair.

Arthur (00:41:27):

We welcome their participation in the elections, and we hope that

Arthur (00:41:33):

In a united front, we can beat Pashinyan or beat Pashinyan during the elections.

Arthur (00:41:39):

That's it.

Asbed (00:41:42):

So both of your alliances,

Asbed (00:41:44):

or rather both of your parties being on the right side of the force,

Asbed (00:41:47):

since we were talking about movies beforehand,

Asbed (00:41:50):

you guys are the Jedi Knights and you're fighting against the evil Sith.

Arthur (00:41:56):

Yeah, because we don't want the empire to strike.

Asbed (00:41:59):

Are there discussions between the two forces, strong Armenia, high standards, or even the ARF?

Arthur (00:42:07):

ARF practices what it preaches.

Arthur (00:42:11):

So when we're saying that the opposition parties shall unite,

Arthur (00:42:15):

obviously,

Arthur (00:42:16):

one united front is a myth.

Arthur (00:42:19):

It's not realistic.

Arthur (00:42:21):

So few very large blocs.

Arthur (00:42:25):

I think it will be the winning strategy.

Arthur (00:42:27):

We practice what we preach.

Arthur (00:42:28):

So we were the first party that openly announced that we prefer the block format.

Arthur (00:42:38):

We are in very close negotiations with our partner from Armenia faction.

Arthur (00:42:47):

The final format hasn't been announced yet, but of course we are holding negotiations with other

Arthur (00:42:54):

parties and blocs so this is it because the combined opposition has more votes than

Arthur (00:43:03):

Pashinyan so the path to success will be not to allow Pashinyan to get the bits and

Arthur (00:43:12):

pieces from the opposition so the opposition doesn't waste the votes of the people

Arthur (00:43:20):

who vote against Pashinyan

Arthur (00:43:24):

Because the Constitution and the Electoral Code is a very strange code anyway.

Hovik (00:43:30):

All right.

Hovik (00:43:31):

Let's call this a show.

Hovik (00:43:33):

Mr. Khachatryan, Arthur, I want to thank you for coming on today as always.

Hovik (00:43:38):

And I hope you have a great week ahead of you.

Hovik (00:43:44):

And thank you for joining us again.

Arthur (00:43:47):

Well, the pleasure is all mine.

Arthur (00:43:49):

Always a pleasure.

Arthur (00:43:50):

you know, talking to you guys.

Arthur (00:43:52):

Have a nice day and nice weekend.

Arthur (00:43:54):

Nice.

Asbed (00:43:54):

Well, we hope to talk with you during this campaign season all the way to June and good luck.

Arthur (00:44:00):

Always at your service.

Arthur (00:44:01):

Good luck.

Asbed (00:44:02):

Take care.

Asbed (00:44:03):

Bye-bye.

Arthur (00:44:04):

Bye-bye.

Asbed (00:44:05):

That's our Week in Review.

Asbed (00:44:07):

We recorded it on January 27, 2026.

Asbed (00:44:09):

We've been talking with Mr.

Asbed (00:44:12):

Arthur Khachatryan,

Asbed (00:44:13):

who is an MP from the Hayastan Dashinq,

Asbed (00:44:15):

Armenia Alliance bloc in the parliament.

Asbed (00:44:18):

He is also a member of the ARF, Dashnaktsutyun.

Asbed (00:44:21):

In the past, he has held government posts such as

Asbed (00:44:24):

Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Development,

Asbed (00:44:27):

Governor of Shirak,

Asbed (00:44:29):

and Minister of Agriculture.

Asbed (00:44:31):

So he's been all over the government.

Asbed (00:44:33):

He's a very experienced man.

Hovik (00:44:34):

Thank you, everyone, for watching and listening.

Hovik (00:44:38):

Just very quickly, LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE.

Hovik (00:44:41):

Helps us a lot.

Asbed (00:44:42):

I want to add something to that, Hovik.

Asbed (00:44:46):

I think we say these things often enough that sometimes people do not listen.

Asbed (00:44:51):

I think sharing is very important.

Asbed (00:44:53):

Folks,

Asbed (00:44:54):

if you want more people to listen to us,

Asbed (00:44:56):

many of you make comments that you guys have such good material and everything.

Asbed (00:45:00):

Thank you so much.

Asbed (00:45:01):

We work hard at it.

Asbed (00:45:03):

But your sharing is very important.

Asbed (00:45:06):

If you SHARE our show to your friends on the internet,

Asbed (00:45:10):

for example,

Asbed (00:45:11):

on Twitter,

Asbed (00:45:12):

X, whether you're on Blue Sky,

Asbed (00:45:14):

whether you're on Facebook,

Asbed (00:45:16):

SHARE it with your folks so that your friends can see us and some of them will sign

Asbed (00:45:21):

up and listen to us.

Asbed (00:45:22):

That's going to help.

Asbed (00:45:23):

That's a real help for us.

Hovik (00:45:25):

Sharing is caring, after all.

Asbed (00:45:30):

Yeah. Thank you so much.

Hovik (00:45:31):

Thanks, everyone, for staying with us.

Hovik (00:45:34):

And from Yerevan, this is Hovik Manucharyan.

Asbed (00:45:37):

And I'm Asbed Bedrossian in Los Angeles.

Asbed (00:45:40):

Bye-bye.

Hovik (00:45:41):

Take care.

Head Shot

Asbed Bedrossian

Co-host
Head Shot

Hovik Manucharyan

Co-host
Head Shot

Arthur Khachatryan

Guest

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