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.
Hrant Mikaelian | Artsakh Blockade | Pashinyan Press Conference | Ministry of Interior Appointments | Artsakh Foreign Minister | Armenia Economy Outlook 2023 | Ep 206 - Jan 15, 2023 [EP206]
Posted on Sunday, Jan 15, 2023 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Russia, Artsakh Blockade, Economy, Turkey, Ukraine, Iran, Georgia, India, European Union, Israel, NATO | Series: wir
Guest:
- Hrant Mikaelian , a political scientist and multidisciplinary researcher in social sciences based in Yerevan. He is also a senior researcher at the Caucasus Institute.
Topics:
- Artsakh Update and Politics in Stepanakert
- Pashinyanâs âPress Conferenceâ
- Ministry of Interior Affairs Appointments
- Economic Review and Outlook in 2023
- Personal Comments
- Hrant - MPG polls results on Armenian Attitudes towards Russia
- Hovik - Stop the destructive internal politics
Episode 206 | Recorded: January 15, 2023
Hrant Mikaelian | Artsakh Blockade | Pashinyan Press Conference | Ministry of Interior Appointments | Artsakh Foreign Minister | Armenia Economy Outlook 2023 | Ep 206 - Jan 15, 2023 [EP206]
Posted on Sunday, Jan 15, 2023 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Russia, Artsakh Blockade, Economy, Turkey, Ukraine, Iran, Georgia, India, European Union, Israel, NATOGuest:
- Hrant Mikaelian , a political scientist and multidisciplinary researcher in social sciences based in Yerevan. He is also a senior researcher at the Caucasus Institute.
Topics:
- Artsakh Update and Politics in Stepanakert
- Pashinyanâs âPress Conferenceâ
- Ministry of Interior Affairs Appointments
- Economic Review and Outlook in 2023
- Personal Comments
- Hrant - MPG polls results on Armenian Attitudes towards Russia
- Hovik - Stop the destructive internal politics
Episode 206 | Recorded: January 15, 2023
Aram Orbelyan: Artsakh Under Blockade - Day 33 [EP202]
Posted on Friday, Jan 13, 2023 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Genocide, Ukraine, Human Rights, Georgia, NATO, Iran, Syria | Series: cog, video
Guests:
- Aram Orbelyan , international law specialist, who is an attorney and managing partner at Concern Dialog law firm, and PhD in Public international law. Mr. Orbelyan lectures at the Academy of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia, and lectured public international law at French University of Armenia. Mr. Orbelyan was Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia between 2011 and 2014.
“The Armenian government, under its legislation, is obliged to protect the independence of Artsakh” - Aram Orbelyan
Topic:
As of earlier this week, Artsakh has introduced coupons to ration food. Other
Read MoreAram Orbelyan: Artsakh Under Blockade - Day 33 [EP202]
Posted on Friday, Jan 13, 2023 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Genocide, Ukraine, Human Rights, Georgia, NATO, Iran, SyriaGuests:
- Aram Orbelyan , international law specialist, who is an attorney and managing partner at Concern Dialog law firm, and PhD in Public international law. Mr. Orbelyan lectures at the Academy of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia, and lectured public international law at French University of Armenia. Mr. Orbelyan was Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia between 2011 and 2014.
“The Armenian government, under its legislation, is obliged to protect the independence of Artsakh” - Aram Orbelyan
Topic:
As of earlier this week, Artsakh has introduced coupons to ration food. Other
Read MoreHovhannes Ishkanyan: Artsakh Under Blockade - Day 25 [EP198]
Posted on Thursday, Jan 5, 2023 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Genocide, Ukraine, China, Georgia, NATO, Syria, European Union, Iran, Israel | Series: cog, video
Guest:
- Hovhannes Ishkhanyan , writer, documentary filmmaker, publicist, co-founder of Eye for an Eye (Akn Und Akan), a community of documentarians. Hovhannes has a Master’s in journalism from the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs.
Using art to prevent catastrophes instead of reacting to them
Ishkhanyan’s documentary “Sleep art”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzqzPpVsK-g
Topic:
More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijanâs blockade of the Lachin (Berdzor) corridor, as this crisis enters its 25th
Read MoreHovhannes Ishkanyan: Artsakh Under Blockade - Day 25 [EP198]
Posted on Thursday, Jan 5, 2023 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Genocide, Ukraine, China, Georgia, NATO, Syria, European Union, Iran, IsraelGuest:
- Hovhannes Ishkhanyan , writer, documentary filmmaker, publicist, co-founder of Eye for an Eye (Akn Und Akan), a community of documentarians. Hovhannes has a Master’s in journalism from the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs.
Using art to prevent catastrophes instead of reacting to them
Ishkhanyan’s documentary “Sleep art”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzqzPpVsK-g
Topic:
More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijanâs blockade of the Lachin (Berdzor) corridor, as this crisis enters its 25th
Read MoreKaren Vrtanesyan: Artsakh Under Blockade - Day 19 [EP196]
Posted on Friday, Dec 30, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Ukraine, Iran, Israel, NATO, Syria | Series: cog, video
Guest:
- Karen Vrtanesyan , expert on military and warfare strategies with a focus on Armenia and its neighboring region. Co-founder of the website razm.info.
“This is not a humanitarian crisis. This is a political crisis, a crisis of statehood. -Karen Vrtanesyan”
Topic:
This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian crisis in progress.
Links:
- 168 Hours: https://168.am
- Groong: https://podcasts.groong.org
Episode 196 | Recorded: December 30, 2022
Karen Vrtanesyan: Artsakh Under Blockade - Day 19 [EP196]
Posted on Friday, Dec 30, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Ukraine, Iran, Israel, NATO, SyriaGuest:
- Karen Vrtanesyan , expert on military and warfare strategies with a focus on Armenia and its neighboring region. Co-founder of the website razm.info.
“This is not a humanitarian crisis. This is a political crisis, a crisis of statehood. -Karen Vrtanesyan”
Topic:
This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian crisis in progress.
Links:
- 168 Hours: https://168.am
- Groong: https://podcasts.groong.org
Episode 196 | Recorded: December 30, 2022
Benyamin Poghosyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 16 [EP195]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 27, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Ukraine, Geopolitics, Israel, Genocide, Georgia, Middle East | Series: cog, video
Guest:
- Benyamin Poghosyan , Chairman of the Yerevan based think tank Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies.
“Aliyev’s strategy is ’no Armenians, no problems’. What is our strategy?” -Benyamin Poghosyan
Topic:
More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, as this crisis enters its 16th day.
This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this
Read More