Tag: 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.

We examine how the Iran war fallout and the extension of the ceasefire are reshaping Armenia’s geopolitical position. We break down the push for the TRIPP or Zangezur Corridor and the claims of Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization, and assess how they tie to regional power dynamics involving Iran, Russia, Turkey, and the United States. The episode also covers Armenia’s 2026 elections and rising elite tensions. In addition, we discuss the global commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, contrasting international messaging with domestic narratives and linking it to ongoing debates around Artsakh and historical continuity.

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran War and TRIPP
  • Armenian Genocide commemoration
  • Peace narrative vs corridor reality
  • Parliamentary election

Episode 536 | Recorded: April 27, 2026

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran War and TRIPP
  • Armenian Genocide commemoration
  • Peace narrative vs corridor reality
  • Parliamentary election

Episode 536 | Recorded: April 27, 2026

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran War Fears
  • June Parliamentary Elections
  • Attacks on the Armenian Church

Episode 532 | Recorded: April 20, 2026

#Armenia #Iran #IranWar #Hormuz #ArmeniaElections #SouthCaucasus

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran War Fears
  • June Parliamentary Elections
  • Attacks on the Armenian Church

Episode 532 | Recorded: April 20, 2026

#Armenia #Iran #IranWar #Hormuz #ArmeniaElections #SouthCaucasus

In this Week in Review episode, Ambassador Dziunik Aghajanian discusses the stalled Iran negotiations after the Islamabad talks, the renewed pressure around Hormuz and the naval blockade, Turkey’s posture toward Israel and the region; Armenia’s lower-profile participation in the Antalya Diplomatic Forum; Russia’s shifting rhetoric on TRIPP and the South Caucasus; and the June 7 parliamentary election in Armenia, including constitutional changes, border concessions, the gas pipeline rerouting issue, and the use of surveillance and arrests against opposition figures.

Topics:

  • Iran War Update
  • 2016 April War
  • Aftermath of Pashinyan in Moscow
  • Domestic Politics & Election

Episode 530 | Recorded: April 7, 2026

#Groong #Armenia

Topics:

  • Iran War Update
  • 2016 April War
  • Aftermath of Pashinyan in Moscow
  • Domestic Politics & Election

Episode 530 | Recorded: April 7, 2026

#Groong #Armenia

In this Week in Review, Hovik and Asbed discussed the escalating US-Israeli war on Iran and the danger of a wider regional catastrophe; we reflected on the tenth anniversary of the April 2016 Four-Day War and what it revealed about Armenia’s military and diplomatic posture; we examined the fallout from Pashinyan’s Moscow visit and the increasingly blunt Russian response, and reviewed the fast-moving Armenian election campaign, including pressure on the opposition, EU involvement, and the emerging strategies of major the various alliances.