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.

War & Diplomacy: Minsk Group, Iran, Geneva | Support from Ex-presidents | Update on War (Ep. 25) [EP25]

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 3, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Iran, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 25 - Nov 1, 2020

Topics Covered:

  • Summary of diplomatic activities
  • Iranian mediation offers
  • Negotiations in Geneva
  • Support from ex-presidents
  • Latest update on the war

Your Hosts:

Resident Panelists:

Recorded: Oct 30, 2020

Armeenia and Artsakh in the Arab Media (Ep #24) - 10/28/2020 [EP24]

Posted on Monday, Nov 2, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Middle East, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Iran, Artsakh, Israel, Russia, Armenian Church, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: COG

Conversations on Groong: Artsakh in the Arab Media - Oct 28, 2020

Since September 27, Azerbaijan has been waging an all out war on Artsakh, cluster-bombing towns and villages and killing civilians and destroying churches and cultural centers, with the aim to destroy and depopulate the region. The worldwide Armenian Diaspora has come together to fight this existential threat.

We’ve read much about the Diaspora’s activities around most of the world, but what about the Arab world? This episode explores some of the challenges and opportunities that the Armenian communities in the Arab world

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Artsakh War - Back to 9/27 | War Council proposal | Diaspora mobilization (Ep. 22) [EP22]

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 21, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Artsakh, China, Georgia, India, Lebanon, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 18, 2020

Topics Covered:

  • In retrospect: Tracing our steps back to Sep. 27
  • Call from extra-parliamentary opposition for a War Council
  • Mobilization of the Armenian diaspora

Your Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Resident Panelists:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Emil Sanamyan

Episode 22. Recorded: October18, 2020 Playlist: WiR (Week in Review)

Stepanakert Cluster Bombed | Turkey's Role | Russia Quiet | What's Next? | Ep. 20 - Oct 4, 2020 [EP20]

Posted on Monday, Oct 5, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Iran, Syria, Geopolitics | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 4, 2020

Topics:

  • Stepanakert under persistent bombardment using banned cluster bombs.
  • Turkey’s role in the war.
  • Why is Russia quiet?
  • What can we expect next?

Guests:

Episode 20 | Recorded: Oct 3, 2020

Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict in Regional Context - Libaridian / De Waal (Ep. 19) [EP19]

Posted on Saturday, Oct 3, 2020 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Middle East, Genocide, Artsakh, China, Geopolitics, Georgia, Human Rights, India, Lebanon, Syria, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: COG

Conversations on Groong - October 3, 2020

It has now been 7 days since Azerbaijan initiated a wide-scale attack against Armenia and Artsakh. The tragic news of deaths and destruction continue to stream in every hour.

In today’s conversation on Groong, we talk to Jirair Libaridian and Thomas DeWaal about the regional geopolitics that helped create a ripe environment for renewed fighting and various potential scenarios that may develop as a result of it.

Questions explored:

  • What was the path leading to the latest escalation?
  • Why has Turkey taken an active role in the conflict?
  • Was Russia
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ANN/Groong Week in Review - (Ep #18) - 09/27/2020 [EP18]

Posted on Monday, Sep 28, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Israel, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Syria, Artsakh, China, Economy, Genocide, Lebanon, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - (Ep #18) - 09/27/2020

Topics:

  • The 29th Anniversary of Armenian Independence;
  • Armenia’s foreign policy;
  • Azerbaijan war of disinformation; and lastly
  • Opposition trio rally and Tsarukyan’s arrest

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Marine Manucharyan
  • Emil Sanamyan

Hosts

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20200927.html Episode 18 | Recorded on September 26, 2020

CoG: "Velvet Revolution" Two Years On - Part 1 | Ep 17 - Sep 25, 2020 [EP17]

Posted on Friday, Sep 25, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Democracy, Nagorno Karabakh, Economy, Georgia, Russia | Series: COG

CoG: “Velvet Revolution” Two Years On - Part 1 | Ep 17 - Sep 25, 2020

It’s been two and a half years since the dramatic popular protests of 2018 that resulted in the resignation of Serge Sargsyan and the subsequent election of Nikol Pashinyan as Prime Minister in Armenia. The change in power, which is commonly referred to as “The Velvet Revolution”, gave many the hope of a more democratic Armenia. Many promises were made in 2018, and mid-way through this administration many of us want to know how the Armenian government is delivering on those promises.

In this

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ANN/Groong Week in Review - (Ep #14) - 09/13/2020 [EP14]

Posted on Monday, Sep 14, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Israel, India, China, Georgia, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - 09/13/2020

Topics:

  • Electoral Reforms in Armenia
  • Journalist Dana Mazalov passes away
  • ANSEF Reorganization
  • My Step MP Arsen Julfalakyan Resigns from Parliament
  • Russian Opposition Leader Navalny’s Poisoning and Recovery
  • What is going on in Baku?
    • Azeri pressure on Arms Providers to Armenia
    • Aliyev vs. Aliyeva?
    • Caucasus 2020 Joint Military Exercises and those MIA

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Emil Sanamyan
  • Alen Zamanyan

Hosts

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20200913.html Episode 14 | Recorded on September 13, 2020

ANN/Groong Week in Review - (Ep #13) - 09/06/2020 [EP13]

Posted on Monday, Sep 7, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, China, Lebanon, Syria, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - 09/06/2020

Topics:

  • Adios Madrid?
  • A New Repatriation Package & iGorts
  • Adios Torosyan?
  • Update on Covid in Armenia / State of Emergency
  • Panelist Soapboxes

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • David Sandukhchyan
  • Emil Sanamyan

Hosts

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20200906.html Episode 13 | Recorded on September 6, 2020