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.

Armenian IT Security and Readiness During Wartime - with Ruben Muradyan (Ep #46) - 01/31/2021 [EP46]

Posted on Sunday, Jan 31, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Iran, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: COG

Armenian IT Security and Readiness During Wartime - with Ruben Muradyan - Jan. 31, 2021

Experience being called up and participating in the war

Ethics of a security professional. What to do when a government member asks you to conduct greyhat (potentially unlawful or unethical) security?

On the 2nd day of the war Ruben was called up to the army as part of an infantry company.

Can you describe your experience?
How were you drafted? And where did you serve?
What specialty did you have in the army?
What can you tell us about what you saw?
Why did we lose the war?

Cyber Incidents During Artsakh

Supreme Judicial Council | Turk-Azerbaijani Military Exercises in Kars | Blinken on Armenia (Ep #45) [EP45]

Posted on Monday, Jan 25, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Genocide, Syria, Artsakh, Armenian Genocide, Israel, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - Jan 24, 2021

Topics Covered:

Supreme Judicial Council Appointments
Turkish-Azerbaijan Military Exercises in Kars Region
Incoming US Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Armenia

Guests

Aram Hamparian
Asbed Kotchikian
Emil Sanamyan

Your Hosts:

Asbed Bedrossian
Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210124.html Episode 45 | Recorded on January 24, 2021

Armen Ashotyan - Opposition Talks | Ep 44, Jan 19, 2021 [EP44]

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 19, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, Azerbaijan, Russia, China, European Union, Genocide, Geopolitics, Turkey | Series: cog

Groong Links:

Guest:

Armen Ashotyan, MP, VP Republican Party of Armenia (HHK)

Topics:

What took place in 2018?
Why did RPA support Vazgen Manukyan as PM candidate?
Nov. 9/10 ceasefire agreement & Jan 11 statement
Is the RPA truly serious about removing Pashinyan? Why hasnât the opposition mobilized more people onto the streets?
Lessons learned from Dec. 2018 elections.

Episode 44 | Recorded on January 17, 2021

Pashinyan in Moscow | Azerbaijan's Geo-politics | Baku Domestic Politics | Baku's Losses (Ep. 43) [EP43]

Posted on Monday, Jan 18, 2021 | Category: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Syria, Georgia, Iran, Artsakh, Economy, Israel, Human Rights, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - Jan 17, 2021

Topics Covered:

Outcomes from Nikol Pashinyanâs trip to Moscow
What is Azerbaijanâs geo-political situation after the war?
Domestic politics in Baku
Azerbaijanâs losses from the second war in Artsakh

Guests

Edgar Elbakyan
Asbed Kotchikian
Emil Sanamyan

Your Hosts:

Asbed Bedrossian
Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210117.html Recorded: January 17, 2021

Former Artsakh Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan (Ep #42) - 01/18/2021 [EP42]

Posted on Monday, Jan 18, 2021 | Category: Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Human Rights, Iran, Ukraine, Israel, Syria, Russia | Series: cog

Former Artsakh Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan - 01/18/2021

Weâll be discussing various legal and human-rights topics within the context of recent developments in Armenia.

Guest:

Ruben Melikyan was formerly Artsakhâs Human Rights Ombudsman and prior to that rector of the Justice Academy of Armenia. In 2019, Melikyan co-founded and currently leads the âPath of Lawâ NGO.

Topics:

Why are there Armenian POWs still in Azerbaijan so long after the Nov. 9 ceasefire agreement?
On Constitutional Court judges being forced to resign
On Parliamentâs endorsement of Gagik Jahangiryanâs appointment

Conversation with Aram Vardevanyan (Ep #41) - 01/13/2021 [EP41]

Posted on Wednesday, Jan 13, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Human Rights, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Israel, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade | Series: COG

Conversation with Aram Vardevanyan - 01/13/2021

Since Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018, and prior to the Artsakh war of 2020, issues around the Armenian constitution and constitutional court have been in the center of public attention. These issues have been partly fueled by one of the most prominent legal cases in recent Armenian history, the March 1 trial against Armenian president Robert Kocharyan and military leadership at the time. We’ll explore issues surrounding the March 1 case, as well as legal and specifically constitutional questions related to the Nov. 9 ceasefire

Conversation with My Step's Maria Karapetyan (Ep #39) - 01/08/2021 [EP39]

Posted on Friday, Jan 8, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, China, Human Rights, Israel, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: COG

Conversation with My Step’s Maria Karapetyan - 01/08/2021

As protesters in the streets of Yerevan continue demanding the resignation of PM Nikol Pashinyan in the aftermath of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ruling My Step faction seems to be firmly on the side of the prime minister.

In the last week or so here at Groong we hosted representatives of various opposition parties and today we will host a representative from the ruling My Step faction to talk about the ongoing political crisis in Armenia.

Today weâre joined by:

Maria Karapetyan, who is a member of the National Assembly with