Last updated: June 10, 2026
Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, with a population of approximately 3 million people. Located on the western coast of the Caspian Sea, it has served as a major regional economic center for over a century due to its strategic position and vast oil and natural gas reserves. The city is home to Azerbaijan’s government institutions, including the presidential office and parliament, and hosts the country’s financial and banking sectors. Baku’s urban landscape reflects its oil wealth, with modern skyscrapers, cultural institutions, and infrastructure development alongside older Soviet-era architecture. The city is connected to European energy markets through major pipelines, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline and the Southern Gas Corridor, making it a critical node in global energy infrastructure. Baku also serves as a transportation hub, with an international airport and port facilities connecting Azerbaijan to regional and international trade networks.
Baku functions as the political and diplomatic hub of Azerbaijan’s regional strategy. As the capital, it hosts the machinery of Ilham Aliyev ’s government and serves as the venue for high-level regional negotiations, including Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process talks and state visits from regional and international powers. The city’s prominence in South Caucasus geopolitics has intensified since Azerbaijan’s military victory in the 44-Day War and its subsequent complete capture of Artsakh in a 24-hour offensive on September 19–20, 2023, which ethnically cleansed the territory of its more than 150,000 Armenian inhabitants. Baku’s role as the administrative center for Azerbaijan’s control over the now-dissolved enclave has made it the focal point for disputes over the territory’s future status, the rights of its former Armenian population, and the implementation of peace agreements.
Baku has emerged as a destination for high-profile diplomatic visits that signal shifting regional alignments. In February 2026, Vice President JD Vance visited both Yerevan and Baku as part of the Trump administration’s engagement with the South Caucasus, a visit framed around the TRIPP corridor project and U.S. strategic interests in the region. The Baku leg of Vance’s trip included a “Strategic Partnership Charter” announcement and reflected the depth of U.S.-Azerbaijan ties, a dynamic that differs markedly from the American approach to Armenia. Baku has also become a destination for European and other international leaders seeking to navigate Azerbaijan’s role in regional energy supplies and transit infrastructure, including TRIPP and broader pan-Turkic integration projects that connect Azerbaijan, Turkey , and Nakhijevan .
Baku’s significance as a capital reflects Azerbaijan’s strategic position as a supplier of natural gas to Europe following Russia ’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a role that creates structural tensions in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process . Europe’s energy dependence on Azerbaijani gas supplies limits the willingness of Brussels to apply sustained pressure on Baku over Azerbaijan’s conduct toward Armenia or the enforced displacement of Artsakh’s Armenian population. Azerbaijan’s ties with Israel have also deepened, particularly after the capture of Artsakh, positioning Baku as a diplomatic hub in a broader regional alignment that includes Turkey and excludes Iran. The Iran war , which erupted in early 2026, has further elevated Baku’s strategic value to the United States and Israel, with reports of potential northern front military coordination and constitutional changes in Nakhijevan that may reflect deeper shifts in Azerbaijan’s geopolitical orientation away from Tehran.
Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Baku.
Episode 165 | Recorded: Sunday, September 18, 2022
From ârevolutionâ to war: deciphering Armeniaâs populist foreign policy-making process Conversation with Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan
Armenian News Network/Groong - September 12, 2022
Recently two AUA professors (Prof. Hovhannes Nikoghosyan and Prof. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan) published a paper in Taylor and Francis Online (TANDF) that analyzes the foreign policy decision making (FPDM) process of the Nikol Pashinyan administration, titled: “From ârevolutionâ to war: deciphering Armeniaâs populist foreign policy-making process”. In this episode, we talk to one of the authors
Read MoreFrom ârevolutionâ to war: deciphering Armeniaâs populist foreign policy-making process Conversation with Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan
Armenian News Network/Groong - September 12, 2022
Recently two AUA professors (Prof. Hovhannes Nikoghosyan and Prof. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan) published a paper in Taylor and Francis Online (TANDF) that analyzes the foreign policy decision making (FPDM) process of the Nikol Pashinyan administration, titled: “From ârevolutionâ to war: deciphering Armeniaâs populist foreign policy-making process”. In this episode, we talk to one of the authors
Read MoreArmenian News Network - Groong Week in Review - Sep 4, 2022
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Armenian News Network - Groong Week in Review - Sep 4, 2022
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Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - August 21, 2022
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Guest: Dr. Arthur Khachikyan
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Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 160 | Recorded: Sunday, August 28, 2022
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - August 21, 2022
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Guest: Dr. Arthur Khachikyan
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Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 160 | Recorded: Sunday, August 28, 2022
Aid to Nagorno Karabakh Effectively Blocked - August 25, 2022 A Conversation with ARAM SUREN HAMPARIAN
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Episode 158 | Recorded on Thursday, August 25, 2022 Show notes: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20220825.html
Aid to Nagorno Karabakh Effectively Blocked - August 25, 2022 A Conversation with ARAM SUREN HAMPARIAN
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Episode 158 | Recorded on Thursday, August 25, 2022 Show notes: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20220825.html
Talking with Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022
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Talking with Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022
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This is a live recording of our Twitter Spaces discussion from August 7, 2022 with Alison Tahmizian Meuse who joined us from Aghavno.
The situation in Berdzor/Aghavno is quite concerning as residents were told to vacate their homes, their town and their homeland by August 25.
Guest: Alison Tahmizian Meuse
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Episode 151 | Recorded on August 7, 2022
This is a live recording of our Twitter Spaces discussion from August 7, 2022 with Alison Tahmizian Meuse who joined us from Aghavno.
The situation in Berdzor/Aghavno is quite concerning as residents were told to vacate their homes, their town and their homeland by August 25.
Guest: Alison Tahmizian Meuse
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Episode 151 | Recorded on August 7, 2022
ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 31, 2022
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Episode 149 | Recorded: Monday, July 31, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220731.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 31, 2022
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Episode 149 | Recorded: Monday, July 31, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220731.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - July 17, 2022
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Episode 148 | Recorded: Monday, July 19, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220717.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - July 17, 2022
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Episode 148 | Recorded: Monday, July 19, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220717.html
Armenian News Network/Groong: Current Topics with the Mayor of Glendale - July 14, 2022 A Conversation with Ardy Kassakhian
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Read MoreArmenian News Network/Groong: Current Topics with the Mayor of Glendale - July 14, 2022 A Conversation with Ardy Kassakhian
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Read MoreArmenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - July 10, 2022
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Episode 146 | Recorded: Monday, July 11, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220710.html
#armenian #news
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - July 10, 2022
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Episode 146 | Recorded: Monday, July 11, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220710.html
#armenian #news
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 26, 2022
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Episode 144 | Recorded: Monday, June 27, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220626.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 26, 2022
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Episode 144 | Recorded: Monday, June 27, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220626.html
Armenian News Network/Groong - Week in Review - June 19, 2022
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Episode 143 | Recorded: Monday, June 20, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220619.html
Read MoreArmenian News Network/Groong - Week in Review - June 19, 2022
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Episode 143 | Recorded: Monday, June 20, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220619.html
Read MoreArmenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 12, 2022
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Episode 142 | Recorded: Monday, June 13, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220612.html
#lavrov #armeniannews
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 12, 2022
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Episode 142 | Recorded: Monday, June 13, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220612.html
#lavrov #armeniannews
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 5, 2022
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Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos
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Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq Episode 141 | Recorded: Monday, June 6, 2022
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 5, 2022
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Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos
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Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq Episode 141 | Recorded: Monday, June 6, 2022
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 22, 2022
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Episode 139 | Recorded: Monday, May 23, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220522.html #zartnirlao
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 22, 2022
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Episode 139 | Recorded: Monday, May 23, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220522.html #zartnirlao
The Armenian Diaspora Survey - May 21, 2022
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The Armenian Diaspora Survey - May 21, 2022
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Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 15, 2022
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Episode 137 | Recorded: Tuesday, May 16, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220515.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 15, 2022
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Episode 137 | Recorded: Tuesday, May 16, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220515.html
ANCA Advocacy Agenda 2022 - MaY 13, 2022 A Conversation with ARAM SUREN HAMPARIAN
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Episode 136 | Recorded on Thursday, May 12, 2022 Show notes: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20220513.html
ANCA Advocacy Agenda 2022 - MaY 13, 2022 A Conversation with ARAM SUREN HAMPARIAN
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Episode 136 | Recorded on Thursday, May 12, 2022 Show notes: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20220513.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 8, 2022
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Episode 135 | Recorded: Tuesday, May 10, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220508.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 8, 2022
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Episode 135 | Recorded: Tuesday, May 10, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220508.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 1, 2022
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Episode 134 | Recorded: Monday, May 2, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220501.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 1, 2022
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Episode 134 | Recorded: Monday, May 2, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220501.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - April 10, 2022
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00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:25 Opposition Protests in Yerevan: Thousands showed up to the opposition protest on Tuesday, outlining the red lines for Pashinyan’s dealings with Aliyev, ahead of the meeting in Brussels. Opposition says this is only the beginning, but have yet to indicate what their next steps will be.
00:12:35 Buying Bread from a Man in Brussels: Pashinyan went to Brussels this week to meet with Charles Michel and Ilham Aliyev. Did the Armenian PM
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - April 10, 2022
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00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:25 Opposition Protests in Yerevan: Thousands showed up to the opposition protest on Tuesday, outlining the red lines for Pashinyan’s dealings with Aliyev, ahead of the meeting in Brussels. Opposition says this is only the beginning, but have yet to indicate what their next steps will be.
00:12:35 Buying Bread from a Man in Brussels: Pashinyan went to Brussels this week to meet with Charles Michel and Ilham Aliyev. Did the Armenian PM
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - April 3, 2022
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Episode 131 | Recorded: Sunday, April 4, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220403.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - April 3, 2022
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Episode 131 | Recorded: Sunday, April 4, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220403.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - March 27, 2022
Episode 130 | Recorded: Monday, March 28, 2022
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - March 27, 2022
Episode 130 | Recorded: Monday, March 28, 2022
ANN/Groong Week in Review - March 13, 2022
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Episode 128 | Recorded: Sunday, March 13, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220313.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - March 13, 2022
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Episode 128 | Recorded: Sunday, March 13, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220313.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 27, 2022
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Episode 125 | Recorded: Sunday, February 27, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220227.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 27, 2022
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Episode 125 | Recorded: Sunday, February 27, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220227.html
Armeniaâs Regional Challenges - February 26, 2022 A Conversation with Tatev Hayrapetyan
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Armeniaâs Regional Challenges - February 26, 2022 A Conversation with Tatev Hayrapetyan
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ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 20, 2022
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Episode 121 | Recorded: Sunday, February 20, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220220.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 20, 2022
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Episode 121 | Recorded: Sunday, February 20, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220220.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 13, 2022
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Episode 119 | Recorded: Sunday, February 14, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220213.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 13, 2022
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Episode 119 | Recorded: Sunday, February 14, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220213.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 6, 2022
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Episode 118 | Recorded: Sunday, February 8, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220206.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 6, 2022
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Episode 118 | Recorded: Sunday, February 8, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220206.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 26, 2021
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Episode 110 | Recorded: Sunday, December 27, 2021