Ilham Aliyev

Last updated: May 29, 2026

Ilham Aliyev has led Azerbaijan since succeeding his father Heydar Aliyev in 2003, consolidating an authoritarian system built on hydrocarbon wealth and a foreign policy defined by strategic patience and the eventual use of force in the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict. Aliyev is one of the most frequently discussed figures in Groong’s coverage, appearing across more than 200 episodes.

The two defining events of Aliyev’s tenure in Groong’s coverage are the 44-Day War of 2020 and Azerbaijan’s military offensive of September 2023. The 2020 war — launched with Turkish military support — ended with Armenia’s defeat and the Russian-brokered ceasefire of November 9. Aliyev then used the three-year interregnum to progressively squeeze the remaining Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh through the Lachin Corridor blockade before the September 2023 offensive that expelled the entire Armenian population of Artsakh — what international human rights organizations have characterized as ethnic cleansing.

In Groong’s analysis, Aliyev’s post-2023 posture has continued to pressure Armenia on multiple fronts: demanding constitutional changes, pursuing the Zangezur Corridor through Syunik , and keeping Armenian prisoners of war — including former Artsakh leaders — in Azerbaijani detention. Episodes also examine Aliyev’s foreign policy relationships: his alliance with Turkey, Azerbaijan’s growing ties with Israel and other arms suppliers, his use of energy leverage over Europe, Azerbaijan’s hosting of COP29 in Baku in 2024, and Baku’s uneasy balance between Russia and the West.

Groong episodes covering Aliyev address the state of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process , the human rights situation inside Azerbaijan, and the broader implications of Azerbaijani regional ambitions for Armenian security.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Ilham Aliyev.

Benyamin Poghosyan - Pashinyan War on Armenian Church, EU-Armenia, Artsakh, Arar Poll | Ep 494, Sep 25, 2025 [EP494]

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Poll, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenian Church, Russia, European Union, Turkey, Ukraine, Iran, India

Guest:

Topics:

  • 1988 Earthquake Remembered
  • Pashinyan’s War on the Armenian Church
  • EU-Armenia Relations
  • Nagorno-Karabakh Negotiation Documents
  • ARAR Foundation Poll

Episode 494 | Recorded: December 8, 2025

#ArmenianChurch #NSS #Pashinyan #ArarPoll #ArmeniaEU

Arthur Khachikyan - OSCE MG Dissolved, Libaridian on Submission, New Constitution, Armenian Church, Prayer Breakfast, Border Commissions meet in Baku | Ep 493, Nov 30, 2025 [EP493]

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Armenian Genocide, Armenian Church, Turkey, Russia, Genocide, Iran, Israel, Middle East, China, NATO | Series: wir, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • OSCE MG Dissolved
  • Libaridian on Submitting to Turkey and Azerbaijan
  • News Constitution to be Drafted by March 2026
  • Archbishops, Letters, Attacks on the Church
  • Border Commissions Meet in Baku
  • Comments from Jacob Pursley

Episode 493 | Recorded: December 2, 2025

Arthur Khachikyan - OSCE MG Dissolved, Libaridian on Submission, New Constitution, Armenian Church, Prayer Breakfast, Border Commissions meet in Baku | Ep 493, Nov 30, 2025 [EP493]

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Armenian Genocide, Armenian Church, Turkey, Russia, Genocide, Iran, Israel, Middle East, China, NATO

Guest:

Topics:

  • OSCE MG Dissolved
  • Libaridian on Submitting to Turkey and Azerbaijan
  • News Constitution to be Drafted by March 2026
  • Archbishops, Letters, Attacks on the Church
  • Border Commissions Meet in Baku
  • Comments from Jacob Pursley

Episode 493 | Recorded: December 2, 2025

Eldar Mamedov - The Global Geopolitics Surrounding the South Caucasus | Ep 492, Dec 1, 2025 [EP492]

Posted on Monday, Dec 1, 2025 | Category: World Order, TRIPP, Armenia, USA, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, NATO, European Union, Middle East, Syria, Geopolitics, China, Lebanon | Series: cog, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • US and Venezuela
  • Potential for New War on Iran
  • Is Azerbaijan a “Middle Power”?
  • Europe’s Confused Geopolitical Identity
  • Armenia’s Confused Geopolitics

Episode 492 | Recorded: November 29, 2025

#IranCrisis #AzerbaijanPolitics #EuropeanGeopolitics #ArmeniaSecurity #SouthCaucasus #GlobalPowerPolitics

Eldar Mamedov - The Global Geopolitics Surrounding the South Caucasus | Ep 492, Dec 1, 2025 [EP492]

Posted on Monday, Dec 1, 2025 | Category: World Order, TRIPP, Armenia, USA, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, NATO, European Union, Middle East, Syria, Geopolitics, China, Lebanon

Guest:

Topics:

  • US and Venezuela
  • Potential for New War on Iran
  • Is Azerbaijan a “Middle Power”?
  • Europe’s Confused Geopolitical Identity
  • Armenia’s Confused Geopolitics

Episode 492 | Recorded: November 29, 2025

#IranCrisis #AzerbaijanPolitics #EuropeanGeopolitics #ArmeniaSecurity #SouthCaucasus #GlobalPowerPolitics

Matt Hoh - What Happened to America First, Ukraine, Gaza, TRIPP in Armenia and other US Adventures | Ep 491 - Nov 30, 2025 [EP491]

Posted on Sunday, Nov 30, 2025 | Category: USA, World Order, TRIPP, Ukraine, Israel, Russia, China, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, Armenia, Iran, Middle East, Economy, NATO, Genocide, Geopolitics, Human Rights | Series: cog, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • Venezuela
  • Ukraine War
  • Gaza
  • TRIPP in Armenia

Episode 491 | Recorded: November 29, 2025

#Venezuela #AmericaFirst #USForeignPolicy #TRIPP #UkraineWar

Matt Hoh - What Happened to America First, Ukraine, Gaza, TRIPP in Armenia and other US Adventures | Ep 491 - Nov 30, 2025 [EP491]

Posted on Sunday, Nov 30, 2025 | Category: USA, World Order, TRIPP, Ukraine, Israel, Russia, China, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, Armenia, Iran, Middle East, Economy, NATO, Genocide, Geopolitics, Human Rights

Guest:

Topics:

  • Venezuela
  • Ukraine War
  • Gaza
  • TRIPP in Armenia

Episode 491 | Recorded: November 29, 2025

#Venezuela #AmericaFirst #USForeignPolicy #TRIPP #UkraineWar

Joel Veldkamp - Armenia’s Prayer Breakfast and the Crackdown on the Church | Ep 490, Nov 27, 2025 [EP490]

Posted on Thursday, Nov 27, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Armenian Church, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, Artsakh Blockade, Russia, Azerbaijan, China, Genocide | Series: cog, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • Clergy Arrests in Armenia
  • Church Under Pressure
  • Prayer Breakfast Controversy
  • Western Silence on Repression
  • CSI’s Findings in Yerevan

Episode 490 | Recorded: November 25, 2025

#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #ChristianSolidarityInternational #HumanRightsInArmenia

Joel Veldkamp - Armenia’s Prayer Breakfast and the Crackdown on the Church | Ep 490, Nov 27, 2025 [EP490]

Posted on Thursday, Nov 27, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Armenian Church, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, Artsakh Blockade, Russia, Azerbaijan, China, Genocide

Guest:

Topics:

  • Clergy Arrests in Armenia
  • Church Under Pressure
  • Prayer Breakfast Controversy
  • Western Silence on Repression
  • CSI’s Findings in Yerevan

Episode 490 | Recorded: November 25, 2025

#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #ChristianSolidarityInternational #HumanRightsInArmenia