Nakhijevan

Last updated: May 29, 2026

Nakhijevan is an Azerbaijani exclave separated from Azerbaijan proper by Armenian territory and bordered by Turkey to the northwest, Iran to the south, and Armenia to the north and east. For centuries it was home to a significant Armenian population and contains some of the oldest Armenian cultural and religious monuments in the world, including the ancient Khachkar cemetery of Agulis and the medieval monastery of Tsghna. Over the course of the Soviet period and especially following the collapse of the USSR, the Armenian population of Nakhijevan was progressively displaced — from roughly 40,000 in the late Soviet era to virtually zero by the early 1990s. The medieval Armenian cemetery of Jugha (Djulfa), which contained thousands of ornate khachkars, was systematically destroyed by Azerbaijani authorities between 1998 and 2005.

The exclave’s disconnection from Azerbaijan proper is the primary driver of Azerbaijan’s and Turkey’s demand for a transit corridor through Armenia’s Syunik province — the so-called Zangezur Corridor — which would provide a land link between Baku and Nakhijevan without crossing Armenian-controlled territory. A direct overland corridor would connect Turkey and Azerbaijan in a continuous route, fulfilling a key pan-Turkic connectivity objective. For Iran, such a corridor would sever its direct land border with Armenia, raising significant concerns in Tehran about encirclement and regional access.

Groong covers Nakhijevan in the context of the corridor dispute, the erasure of its Armenian heritage, and the strategic geometry of the South Caucasus. Episodes in this category address how Nakhijevan’s history and geographic isolation shape Azerbaijani and Turkish foreign policy objectives and what resolution of the transit dispute would mean for the region.

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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“Positive Messages” | Street Rallies | Election Setbacks | Siradeghyan Dies | Ep #94 - Oct 24, 2021 [EP94]

Posted on Monday, Oct 25, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Artsakh, Iran, Human Rights, Georgia, Turkey, China, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 24, 2021

Topics:

  • Yerevan’s “Positive Messages”
  • Opposition Going Back to Street Rallies?
  • Ruling Party Setbacks in Local Elections
  • Vano Siradeghyan Dies

Guests:

  • Tevan Poghosyan TW/@TevanPoghosyan

Hosts:

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

Episode 94 | Recorded: October 25, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211024.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 “corridors” through each other’s countries.

Episode 83 | Recorded: June 14, 2021

Tensions on the Border | Latest IRI & MPG Polls | Election Politics | (Ep #65) - May 30, 2021 [EP65]

Posted on Monday, May 31, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Poll, Azerbaijan, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - May 30, 2021 Topics:

  • Continued Tensions on the Eastern Border
  • Latest IRI and MPG Polls on the Armenian Elections
  • Election Politics

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian
  • George Tabakyan

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 65 | Recorded: May 30, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210530.html

Constitutional Amendment | Opp Rising | Zarif Tour | Virus Update | Armenia Fund & the Dram (Ep #47) [EP47]

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Iran, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Economy, Israel, Russia, Artsakh, Geopolitics, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - Jan 31, 2021

Topics Covered:

  • Another Constitutional Amendment?
  • Opposition Rising: New Bottle, Old Wine?
  • Iran’s FM Zarif on a Tour de Six
  • State of the Virus in Armenia
  • Armenia Fund Used to Shore up the Dram?

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Hrant Mikaelian

Your Hosts:

  • Alen Zamanyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210131.html Episode 47 | Recorded on January 31, 2021

ANN/Groong Week in Review - (Ep #6) - 08/09/2020 [EP6]

Posted on Monday, Aug 10, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Russia, Turkey, Israel, Iran, Syria, China, Economy, Ukraine, Middle East, Georgia | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - 08/09/2020

Topics:

  • The Massive Explosion in Beirut
  • Lightning Round
    • Turkey-Azerbaijan Military Exercises
    • Mashtots Park
    • Cyber Security Intrusion
    • Law on Media Regulation
    • Beirut Explosion

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Emil Sanamyan
  • Yeghia Tashjian
  • Alen Zamanyan

Hosts

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20200809.html Episode 6 | Recorded on August 9, 2020