Nagorno Karabakh

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.

Meltdown at the MFA | Philip Reeker Visit | 15 POWs Return | Latest Polls | (Ep #70) - June 13, 2021 [EP70]

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 16, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh, Iran, Ukraine, China, Economy, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 13, 2021 Topics:

Meltdown at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Philip Reekerâs Visit to the Region
15 POWs Return Home
Latest Election Poll Results

Guests:

Asbed Kotchikian
Tevan Poghosyan

Hosts:

Hovik Manucharyan
Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 70 | Recorded: June 13, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210613.html

Unblocking The South Caucasus, Facts & 'Alternative Facts' | Ep 83 - Aug 1, 2021 (Recorded 6/14/21) [EP83]

Posted on Monday, Jun 14, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Georgia, Iran, Russia, Artsakh Blockade, Armenian Genocide, Economy, Genocide, Israel, NATO | Series: cog

Guests:

Topic:

This Conversations on Groong episode is our first Live Show on Clubhouse and hopefully it will be an informative, as well as an enjoyable discussion for all. We will be talking about the politics of opening the paths of communication, lifting blockades, and the rumors, facts, and fallacies around so-called âcorridorsâ through each otherâs countries.

Episode 83 | Recorded: June 14, 2021

ARF-Dashnaktsutyun: Roadmap & Challenges - Conversation with Giro Manoyan | (Ep #69) - June 11, 2021 [EP69]

Posted on Friday, Jun 11, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Russia, Turkey, Armenian Church, Economy, Iran, Lebanon, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: COG

ARF-Dashnaktsutyun: Roadmap and Challenges

Guest

Giro Manoyan has been a member of the ARF-D Bureau since 2015. Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, he moved to Montreal, Canada in 1976. He has served as the Executive Secretary of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, as well as the Editor in Chief of the Horizon Armenian Weekly. In 1999 he moved to Yerevan and has served as the Executive Director of the Bureau of the ARF-D, in charge of the Armenian Cause, Hai Tahd Central Committee.

Topics

The ARF in the Politics of Armenia
On the War in 2020
On the Upcoming Elections in 2021
On the

Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War | (Ep #68) - June 8, 2021 [EP68]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 8, 2021 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, China, Ukraine, Economy, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Artsakh, Genocide, Middle East, Syria, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: COG

Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War

A Conversation with:

Guest:

Dr. Pietro Shakarian, who is a Cleveland-based historian of Russia and the Soviet Union, with a focus on Soviet Armenia and the Caucasus during the era of Nikita Khrushchevâs Thaw.

Topics

Democracy-building in the Post Soviet Space
NATO and expansion
Russia in the Caucasus
China and the New Silk Road through Iran and Georgia

Hosts:

Hovik Manucharyan
Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 68 | Recorded: June 4, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210608.html

Iran: Foreign Relations, Upcoming Elections (Ep. 67) - 06/07/2021 [EP67]

Posted on Monday, Jun 7, 2021 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, China, Israel, Middle East, Syria, Artsakh, Georgia, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: COG

Iran: Foreign Relations and Upcoming Elections A Conversation with Robert Markarian

The South Caucasus comprises Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The three regional powers surrounding them are Russia to the north, Turkey to the west, and Iran in the south.

Iran has been largely quiet about events on its northern border with Armenia and Azerbaijan, due largely to its marginalization on the world stage because of the Western economic sanctions but also because Iran is home to millions of ethnic Azeris and any perceived support for Armenia could result in additional political instability at