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.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Nagorno Karabakh.

Meetings in Prague | Pashinyan Consolidating Power | Personal Rants | Ep 167 - Oct 9, 2022 [EP167]

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 11, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Genocide, India, Armenian Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • Meetings in Prague
  • Pashinyan Consolidating Power
  • Personal Rants

Episode 167 | Recorded: October 10, 2022

Meetings in Prague | Pashinyan Consolidating Power | Personal Rants | Ep 167 - Oct 9, 2022 [EP167]

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 11, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Genocide, India, Armenian Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO

Guest:

Topics:

  • Meetings in Prague
  • Pashinyan Consolidating Power
  • Personal Rants

Episode 167 | Recorded: October 10, 2022

US-Armenia Relations | Azerbaijan Maps | Azerbaijan Aggression and War Crimes | Ep 166 - Oct 2, 2022 [EP166]

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 4, 2022 | Category: United States, Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Ukraine, Genocide, Geopolitics, Georgia, China, Armenian Genocide, Economy, Human Rights, India, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • US-Armenia Relations
  • Azerbaijan’s Maps and Claims
  • Azerbaijan Continues to Occupy Armenia
  • Internal Politics in Armenia

Episode 166 | Recorded: October 1 & 3, 2022

US-Armenia Relations | Azerbaijan Maps | Azerbaijan Aggression and War Crimes | Ep 166 - Oct 2, 2022 [EP166]

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 4, 2022 | Category: United States, Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Ukraine, Genocide, Geopolitics, Georgia, China, Armenian Genocide, Economy, Human Rights, India, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO

Guest:

Topics:

  • US-Armenia Relations
  • Azerbaijan’s Maps and Claims
  • Azerbaijan Continues to Occupy Armenia
  • Internal Politics in Armenia

Episode 166 | Recorded: October 1 & 3, 2022

From ‘revolution’ to war with Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan | Ep 164 - Sep 12, 2022 [EP164]

Posted on Monday, Sep 12, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Politics, Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan, Middle East, Iran, Syria, NATO | Series: cog

From ‘revolution’ to war: deciphering Armenia’s populist foreign policy-making process Conversation with Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan

Armenian News Network/Groong - September 12, 2022

Recently two AUA professors (Prof. Hovhannes Nikoghosyan and Prof. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan) published a paper in Taylor and Francis Online (TANDF) that analyzes the foreign policy decision making (FPDM) process of the Nikol Pashinyan administration, titled: “From ‘revolution’ to war: deciphering Armenia’s populist foreign policy-making process”. In this episode, we talk to one of the authors

 Read More

From ‘revolution’ to war with Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan | Ep 164 - Sep 12, 2022 [EP164]

Posted on Monday, Sep 12, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Politics, Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan, Middle East, Iran, Syria, NATO

From ‘revolution’ to war: deciphering Armenia’s populist foreign policy-making process Conversation with Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan

Armenian News Network/Groong - September 12, 2022

Recently two AUA professors (Prof. Hovhannes Nikoghosyan and Prof. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan) published a paper in Taylor and Francis Online (TANDF) that analyzes the foreign policy decision making (FPDM) process of the Nikol Pashinyan administration, titled: “From ‘revolution’ to war: deciphering Armenia’s populist foreign policy-making process”. In this episode, we talk to one of the authors

 Read More

Artsakh Independence | Diplomacy | Normalization with Turkey | Gorbachev | Ep 162 - Sep 4, 2022 [EP162]

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 6, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Economy, Geopolitics, Israel, European Union, NATO, Georgia, Human Rights, Middle East | Series: wir

Armenian News Network - Groong Week in Review - Sep 4, 2022

Topics:

  • September 2: Artsakh Independence Day
    • September 2 is a public holiday commemorating the day 31 years ago when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic declared independence from the USSR. Before 2020, this would be a festive holiday. This year, there were protests in both Yerevan and Stepanakert as well as visits to the gravesites of fallen heroes.
  • Developments in Geopolitics
    • There were two major meetings this week between Armenia and Azerbaijan. On August 30, the deputy PMs met in Moscow, then on August 31, Pashinyan and Aliyev met
 Read More

Artsakh Independence | Diplomacy | Normalization with Turkey | Gorbachev | Ep 162 - Sep 4, 2022 [EP162]

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 6, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Economy, Geopolitics, Israel, European Union, NATO, Georgia, Human Rights, Middle East

Armenian News Network - Groong Week in Review - Sep 4, 2022

Topics:

  • September 2: Artsakh Independence Day
    • September 2 is a public holiday commemorating the day 31 years ago when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic declared independence from the USSR. Before 2020, this would be a festive holiday. This year, there were protests in both Yerevan and Stepanakert as well as visits to the gravesites of fallen heroes.
  • Developments in Geopolitics
    • There were two major meetings this week between Armenia and Azerbaijan. On August 30, the deputy PMs met in Moscow, then on August 31, Pashinyan and Aliyev met
 Read More

Opposition restart | Berdzor & Aghavno | "Peace Plan" | Military service | Ep 160 - Aug 28, 2022 [EP160]

Posted on Sunday, Aug 28, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Iran, Economy, Syria, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: wir

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - August 21, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 02:02 Opposition movement restarts
  • 25:28 Berdzor & Aghavno handover
  • 34:43 “Peace Plan” coming?
  • 49:54 Newly proposed military service avoidance law
  • 54:15 Rant

Guest: Dr. Arthur Khachikyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

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

Episode 160 | Recorded: Sunday, August 28, 2022

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220828.html