Nagorno Karabakh

Last updated: May 29, 2026

The Nagorno Karabakh conflict — also known as the Artsakh conflict, and in official Azerbaijani and international usage as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict — has been the central subject of Groong’s coverage since the podcast launched. With more than 450 episodes addressing the dispute in whole or in part, this archive represents one of the most comprehensive English-language audio records of the conflict’s recent history.

At its core, the conflict was not simply a territorial dispute between two states. The Armenian population of Artsakh — the Republic of Artsakh — was asserting its right to self-determination, a principle recognized in international law and enshrined in the UN Charter. That claim stood in direct tension with Azerbaijan’s insistence on its territorial integrity and the inviolability of Soviet-era administrative borders. The failure to resolve that tension through diplomacy over three decades ultimately ended in war.

Groong covered the 44-Day War of September–November 2020, in which Azerbaijan retook large portions of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) with Turkish military support, and the November 9, 2020 ceasefire brokered by Russia. That ceasefire created an unstable status quo: the Republic of Artsakh continued to exist on a reduced territory under the protection of Russian peacekeepers, but Azerbaijan progressively tightened its grip. The nine-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor from December 2022 onward cut the region off from food, medicine, and fuel, creating a humanitarian crisis documented in real time on Groong.

Azerbaijan’s military offensive of September 19–20, 2023 ended Armenian governance of Nagorno-Karabakh entirely. Within three weeks, virtually the entire Armenian population of Artsakh at the time — some 120,000 people, the descendants of communities that had lived in the region for millenia — was driven from the Republic of Artsakh to Armenia. Human rights organizations and many governments characterized this as ethnic cleansing. The Azerbaijani government dissolved the Republic of Artsakh on January 1, 2024.

Groong’s ongoing coverage addresses the situation of Armenian prisoners of war still held in Baku, including former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, the right of return for the displaced population, ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiations, and the prospects for accountability for what occurred.

Turkish Armenian Normalization - Conversation with Harut Sassounian | Ep #111 - Jan 9, 2022 [EP111]

Posted on Sunday, Jan 9, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Russia, Israel, Artsakh, Economy, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Armenian Church, Georgia, Syria, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, NATO | Series: COG

Turkish-Armenian Normalization Negotiations A Conversation with Harut Sassounian

  • Harut Sassounian has been the publisher of The California Courier newspaper since 1983. He is also the President of the Armenia Artsakh Fund, a non-profit organization which has delivered to Armenia and Artsakh $947 million of humanitarian assistance since 1989. He is currently engaged in forming the Diaspora Armenian Parliament through local elections.

Topics:

  • History of Turkish-Armenian Attempts at Negotiations
  • Who are The Players?
  • Why Now? What’s on the Agenda?
  • What are the Pitfalls and Opportunities?
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Pashinyan press conference | Kocharyan press conference | EVN Mayor Saga | Ep #110 - Dec 26, 2021 [EP110]

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, USA, Artsakh, Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Economy, India, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 26, 2021

Topics:

  • Nikol Pashinyan holds a press conference
  • Robert Kocharyan holds a press conference
  • The Yerevan Mayor Saga

Guests:

  • Tevan Poghosyan TW/@ TevanPoghosyan

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 110 | Recorded: Sunday, December 27, 2021

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211226.html

Thirty Years After the USSR | Ep #109 - Dec 26, 2021 [EP109]

Posted on Sunday, Dec 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, USSR, Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Economy, Artsakh, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, NATO, European Union | Series: COG

Thirty Years After the USSR

  • Dr. Pietro Shakarian is a Lecturer in history at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan. His research focuses on the history of Eastern Armenia and the Caucasus, especially Soviet Armenia during the era of Nikita Khrushchev’s Thaw. His analyses on Russia and the former Soviet region have appeared in The Nation, The Plain Dealer, the Russian International Affairs Council, Hetq, and more.

Topics:

  • How did the USSR Dissolve, who were the personalities behind it?
  • Did Ethnic Nationalism Have a Hand in it?
  • Did Ronald Reagan Defeat the Soviet Union?
  • What are the
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Normalization | Brussels Sprouts | NSC Chair in DC | Armenia Project Tour | Ep. 108 - Dec 19, 2021 [EP108]

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 21, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, Armenian Genocide, European Union, Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Ukraine, NATO, Economy, Middle East | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 19, 2021

Topics:

  • Turkish-Armenian normalization
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Armen Grigoryan in Washington DC
  • The Armenian Project - US Tour
  • Analyst Rants

Guest:

Episode 108 | Recorded: December 20, 2021

Armenian and Azerbaijani Expert Perspectives on Negotiations | Ep #107 - Dec 15, 2021 [EP107]

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 15, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Georgia, Artsakh, USA, China, Syria, Armenian Genocide, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO, Genocide, Israel, India | Series: cog, video

Anar Valiyev and Benyamin Poghosyan discuss stumbling blocks in post-war negotiations

Guests:

  • Dr. Anar Valiyev, Associate Professor at Azerbaijani Diplomatic Academy (ADA) University in Baku.
  • Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan, Chairman of Yerevan-based think tank Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies.

Topics:

  • Artsakh Status (@4:54)
  • Is the conflict really “solved” (@11:04)
  • Opening of Communications (@38:52)
  • Corridor for Corridor (@46:32)
  • “Unimpeded” Access (@50:15)
  • Russia’s regional role (@53:16)
  • Turkey’s regional role (@58:48)
  • 3+3 or 3+2 Format
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Zoom for Democracy | Domestic & Regional Politics | Artsakh Republic at 30 | Ep #106 - Dec 12, 2021 [EP106]

Posted on Monday, Dec 13, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, Georgia, China, Israel, Syria, Genocide, Human Rights, Economy, Armenian Genocide, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, NATO, Lebanon, Middle East | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 12, 2021

Topics:

  • Zoom for Democracy
  • Domestic Politics
  • Regional Politics
  • Artsakh Independence at 30
  • Analyst Rants

Guests:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@benyamin_poghos
  • Pietro Shakarian

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 106 | Recorded: Sunday, December 12, 2021

Regional Geopolitics | Turkmen / Iran Gas | Armenian Opposition Fizzles Out | Ep #105 - Dec 5, 2021 [EP105]

Posted on Monday, Dec 6, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, China, Artsakh, Geopolitics, India, Israel, Economy, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, Georgia, Syria, Ukraine | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 5, 2021

Topics:

  • Regional Geopolitics @1:07
  • Turkmenistan / Iran Gas Swap Deal @46:58
  • Opposition Fizzles Out. Again @58:18

Guests:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@benyamin_poghos

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 105 | Recorded: Sunday, December 5, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211205.html

Pashinyan Live | From Sochi to Brussels | Normalization | Co-opetition | Ep #104 - Nov 28, 2021 [EP104]

Posted on Monday, Nov 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Syria, Economy, Georgia, China, India, Lebanon, Artsakh, Ukraine, Genocide, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 28, 2021

Topics:

  • Pashinyan Live on Facebook
  • Trilateral in Sochi, Bilateral in Brussels
  • Turkish-Armenian “Normalization”
  • Russian-Turkish “Co-opetition” in Eurasia

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian TW/@hrant_m
  • Yeghia Tashjian TW/@yeghig

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 104 | Recorded: Sunday, November 28, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211128.html

Vardan Aramyan - Armenian Budget and Economy For 2022 | Ep 102 - Nov 21, 2021 [EP102]

Posted on Sunday, Nov 21, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Economy, Nagorno Karabakh, Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, China, Iran, Turkey, European Union | Series: cog

Guest:

Topics:

  • 2022 Budget and Economic Growth @1:24
    • Did Armenian economy recover already? @3:55
    • Does the structure of growth mirror worldwide growth @8:55
    • What happens if growth doesn’t meet target @14:25
    • Why did the IMF underestimate Armenian growth initially @17:38
  • Growth Sectors in Budget @23:41
    • Are prices for Copper/Aluminum extremely inflated? @25:50
  • Inflation @32:48
    • Effect on wages, income inequality, poverty & other socioeconomic markers? @41:36
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