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.

Pietro Shakarian - Iran War, Armenia and Russia, June Parliamentary Elections | Ep 529, Apr 4, 2026 [EP529]

Posted on Saturday, Apr 4, 2026 | Category: Armenia, history, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Israel | Series: COG

Guest:

Topics:

  • The Iran War and Its Global Impacts
  • Armenia-Russia Relations
  • Parliamentary Elections in Armenia

Episode 529 | Recorded on April 3, 2026

#IranIsraelWar #IsraelIranConflict #IsraelConflict #Armenia #MiddleEastCrisis #ArmeniaElections #PietroShakarian #TRIPP

Pietro Shakarian - Iran War, Armenia and Russia, June Parliamentary Elections | Ep 529, Apr 4, 2026 [EP529]

Posted on Saturday, Apr 4, 2026 | Category: Armenia, history, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Israel

Guest:

Topics:

  • The Iran War and Its Global Impacts
  • Armenia-Russia Relations
  • Parliamentary Elections in Armenia

Episode 529 | Recorded on April 3, 2026

#IranIsraelWar #IsraelIranConflict #IsraelConflict #Armenia #MiddleEastCrisis #ArmeniaElections #PietroShakarian #TRIPP

Transcript: Pietro Shakarian - Iran War, Armenia and Russia, June Parliamentary Elections | Ep 529, Apr 4, 2026 [EP529]

Posted on Saturday, Apr 4, 2026 | Category: Armenia, history, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Israel, Transcript

Dr. Pietro Shakarian joined us to discuss the state of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, the shrinking chances for a diplomatic off-ramp, and how the conflict is shifting wider Eurasian politics. The conversation then turned to Armenia, including the likely freezing of TRIPP amid the Iran war, Pashinyan’s contentious visit to Moscow, and the deeper low point in Armenia-Russia relations. The final section focused on Armenia’s June parliamentary elections, public sentiment toward Pashinyan, fears over election integrity, and the evolving opposition landscape.

Anna Karapetyan - Iran War, Pashinyan Fake Narratives, Fear-mongering, Silencing Talk of Artsakh | Ep 528, Mar 29, 2026 [EP528]

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 31, 2026 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Artsakh, Election, Nagorno Karabakh, USA, Azerbaijan, Armenian Genocide | Series: wir, video

Guest:

  • Anna Karapetyan Director of the Insight Analytical Center for Applied Policy and Research.

Topics:

  • Iran war escalation and spillover
  • Pashinyan’s Fake “peace” narrative
  • Elections built on fear-mongering
  • Silencing talk of Artsakh

Episode 528 | Recorded: March 30, 2026

Anna Karapetyan - Iran War, Pashinyan Fake Narratives, Fear-mongering, Silencing Talk of Artsakh | Ep 528, Mar 29, 2026 [EP528]

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 31, 2026 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Artsakh, Election, Nagorno Karabakh, USA, Azerbaijan, Armenian Genocide

Guest:

  • Anna Karapetyan Director of the Insight Analytical Center for Applied Policy and Research.

Topics:

  • Iran war escalation and spillover
  • Pashinyan’s Fake “peace” narrative
  • Elections built on fear-mongering
  • Silencing talk of Artsakh

Episode 528 | Recorded: March 30, 2026

Hovik & Asbed - Karekin II & Ilia II Funeral, Iran War, Armenia Elections | Ep 527, Mar 22, 2026 [EP527]

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Politics, Israel, USA, Turkey, Russia, China, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Georgia | Series: cog, video

Topics:

  • Georgian Patriarch Ilia II passes away
  • Karekin II travel banned from funeral
  • Iran war update
  • June election in Armenia

Episode 527 | Recorded: March 23, 2026

#Groong #Armenia

Hovik & Asbed - Karekin II & Ilia II Funeral, Iran War, Armenia Elections | Ep 527, Mar 22, 2026 [EP527]

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Politics, Israel, USA, Turkey, Russia, China, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Georgia

Topics:

  • Georgian Patriarch Ilia II passes away
  • Karekin II travel banned from funeral
  • Iran war update
  • June election in Armenia

Episode 527 | Recorded: March 23, 2026

#Groong #Armenia

YoungMin - Travel Blogger’s Visit to Occupied and Ethnically Cleansed Artsakh | Ep 526, Mar 22, 2026 [EP526]

Posted on Sunday, Mar 22, 2026 | Category: Artsakh, Kagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran | Series: cog, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • YoungMin’s journey into post-2023 Artsakh
  • Controlled access, guided narratives
  • Erasing Traces of Armenians
  • In Agdam, Askeran, and Stepanakert
  • Memory, loss, and the aftermath of Ethnic Cleansing

Episode 526 | Recorded: March 21, 2026

#Artsakh #Armenia #YoungMin #NagornoKarabakh #EthnicCleansing

 Read More

YoungMin - Travel Blogger’s Visit to Occupied and Ethnically Cleansed Artsakh | Ep 526, Mar 22, 2026 [EP526]

Posted on Sunday, Mar 22, 2026 | Category: Artsakh, Kagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran

Guest:

Topics:

  • YoungMin’s journey into post-2023 Artsakh
  • Controlled access, guided narratives
  • Erasing Traces of Armenians
  • In Agdam, Askeran, and Stepanakert
  • Memory, loss, and the aftermath of Ethnic Cleansing

Episode 526 | Recorded: March 21, 2026

#Artsakh #Armenia #YoungMin #NagornoKarabakh #EthnicCleansing

 Read More