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.
Opposition restart | Berdzor & Aghavno | "Peace Plan" | Military service | Ep 160 - Aug 28, 2022 [EP160]
Posted on Sunday, Aug 28, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Iran, Economy, Syria, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: wir
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - August 21, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 02:02 Opposition movement restarts
- 25:28 Berdzor & Aghavno handover
- 34:43 âPeace Planâ coming?
- 49:54 Newly proposed military service avoidance law
- 54:15 Rant
Guest: Dr. Arthur Khachikyan
Guest(s):
Hosts:
Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 160 | Recorded: Sunday, August 28, 2022
Opposition restart | Berdzor & Aghavno | "Peace Plan" | Military service | Ep 160 - Aug 28, 2022 [EP160]
Posted on Sunday, Aug 28, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Iran, Economy, Syria, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, NATOArmenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - August 21, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 02:02 Opposition movement restarts
- 25:28 Berdzor & Aghavno handover
- 34:43 âPeace Planâ coming?
- 49:54 Newly proposed military service avoidance law
- 54:15 Rant
Guest: Dr. Arthur Khachikyan
Guest(s):
Hosts:
Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 160 | Recorded: Sunday, August 28, 2022
Surmalu Blast | Foreign Relations | Resistance Movement | Ep #156 - Aug 21, 2022 [EP156]
Posted on Monday, Aug 22, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Artsakh, Georgia, Geopolitics, India, Turkey, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: wir
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - August 21, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 01:44 Surmalu Blast
- 01:44 What happened in Surmalu market?
- 07:41 Why did Pashinyan jump the gun to declare that it’s not terrorism?
- 08:45 Russian note of protest on anti-Russian sentiments in information sphere
- 12:55 A mayoral campaign in the midst of tragedy?
- 19:01 Policy response: ban fireworks?
- 21:52 Foreign Relations
- 21:52 Aliyev rejects Artsakh status
- 28:26 Aghavno/Berdzor handed over
- 41:50 Papikyan in Moscow
- 43:28 Iranian red lines, again
- 48:03 Checkpoints for Azerbaijan
- 53:48 Resistance
Surmalu Blast | Foreign Relations | Resistance Movement | Ep #156 - Aug 21, 2022 [EP156]
Posted on Monday, Aug 22, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Artsakh, Georgia, Geopolitics, India, Turkey, Ukraine, Nagorno KarabakhArmenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - August 21, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 01:44 Surmalu Blast
- 01:44 What happened in Surmalu market?
- 07:41 Why did Pashinyan jump the gun to declare that it’s not terrorism?
- 08:45 Russian note of protest on anti-Russian sentiments in information sphere
- 12:55 A mayoral campaign in the midst of tragedy?
- 19:01 Policy response: ban fireworks?
- 21:52 Foreign Relations
- 21:52 Aliyev rejects Artsakh status
- 28:26 Aghavno/Berdzor handed over
- 41:50 Papikyan in Moscow
- 43:28 Iranian red lines, again
- 48:03 Checkpoints for Azerbaijan
- 53:48 Resistance
Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022 [EP153]
Posted on Thursday, Aug 11, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Iran, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade | Series: cog
Talking with Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022
- Growing up Armenian in Azerbaijan
- Experiencing Armenia as an Armenian from Azerbaijan
- Advocating for Armenian Families and Children
- Thoughts on the condition of Artsakh, and Armenia
- The projects in progress at Astvatsaturian.org, Annaâs 501c3 charity organization.
Guest:
- Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is an Armenian-American author, city counselor, human rights advocate, and also a refugee from her original city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which her family fled, as violence mounted against Armenians.
Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022 [EP153]
Posted on Thursday, Aug 11, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Iran, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh BlockadeTalking with Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022
- Growing up Armenian in Azerbaijan
- Experiencing Armenia as an Armenian from Azerbaijan
- Advocating for Armenian Families and Children
- Thoughts on the condition of Artsakh, and Armenia
- The projects in progress at Astvatsaturian.org, Annaâs 501c3 charity organization.
Guest:
- Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is an Armenian-American author, city counselor, human rights advocate, and also a refugee from her original city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which her family fled, as violence mounted against Armenians.
Live from Aghavno with Alison Tahmizian Meuse | Ep #151 - Aug 7, 2022 [EP151]
Posted on Sunday, Aug 7, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Politics, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Israel, Genocide, NATO | Series: cog
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
Guest(s):
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 151 | Recorded on August 7, 2022
Live from Aghavno with Alison Tahmizian Meuse | Ep #151 - Aug 7, 2022 [EP151]
Posted on Sunday, Aug 7, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Politics, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Israel, Genocide, NATOThis 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
Guest(s):
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 151 | Recorded on August 7, 2022
Tevan Poghosyan: CIA in EVN | Armen Grigoryan | Papazian Banned | FMs Meet | Ep #148 - July 17, 2022 [EP148]
Posted on Wednesday, Jul 20, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Human Rights, Syria, Genocide, Middle East, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, European Union | Series: wir
Guest(s):
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - July 17, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00:00 Introduction
- 00:02:30 CIA Chief in Armenia
- 00:18:26 Army Chief Appointed
- 00:30:41 Armen Grigoryan Dies in Court
- 00:45:14 Mourad Papazian is Denied Entry in Armenia
- 00:57:04 Bayramov and Mirzoyan in Tbilisi
- 01:06:11 Rants
Guests:
- Tevan Poghosyan - TW/@TevanPoghosyan
Host:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 148 | Recorded: Monday, July 19, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220717.html