Rouben Azizian

I want to remind you and all your listeners that, as I like to brag, I basically ended the Cold War in New Zealand, and all of your listeners, and you included, probably owe me a drink.

I was the acting Soviet ambassador.

I was the one who lowered the hammer and sickle flag over the famous Kremlin Soviet embassy building in Karory.

So once I do that, New Zealand formally is not in a Cold War with the Soviet Union, and there is no Soviet presence officially there.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

And I have to start with maybe a diplomat in me, always, to compliment you and John for your terrific work.

Because honestly, as I was telling John, I give many interviews.

People always remind me of your program.

Oh, you were with Gaeon Espiner and Cold War.

And then this is one, and Jake Tame, number two.

So I won't tell Jack he's number two.

The country that I was born in was called the USSR, Soviet Union, right?

And Armenia was only part of that country.

Russia didn't really do much.

Being a security ally, Russia let it go.

As a result, Armenia lost that Nagorno-Karabakh region populated by Armenians.

There is no single Armenian left there.

That has accelerated Armenia's movement away from Russian influence towards Europe, even reestablishing ties with Turkey and Azerbaijan, which is very challenging.

People, Armenians living overseas, diaspora, still have very hostile memories of Turkey.

But Armenia