Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Last updated: May 29, 2026

Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey has been a decisive actor in the South Caucasus conflicts at the center of Groong’s coverage. Turkish military support for Azerbaijan — including the supply of Bayraktar drones and facilitation of Syrian fighters — was a significant factor in Azerbaijan’s victory in the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war. Erdogan publicly celebrated the outcome, framing it as a pan-Turkic triumph and deepening the strategic partnership between Ankara and Baku that has shaped regional dynamics ever since.

Groong’s coverage of Erdogan addresses several interlocking themes. On Armenia-Turkey relations, the normalization process that began in 2021 with the appointment of special envoys has remained stalled over Erdogan’s conditions linking progress to concessions in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process — a linkage Armenia has resisted. On Pan-Turkism, Erdogan’s rhetoric and the Zangezur Corridor project reflect a vision of unbroken Turkish-Azerbaijani territorial continuity that analysts on Groong have described as strategically threatening to Armenian sovereignty over southern Armenia.

On broader geopolitics, Erdogan occupies a complicated position: a NATO member who has maintained working relations with Putin through the Ukraine war, a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine grain deal, a purchaser of Russian S-400 air defense systems, and a leader whose democratic backsliding and Kurdish policy have put him in frequent tension with Western partners. Groong episodes examine how these contradictions shape Turkey’s room for maneuver in the South Caucasus and what they mean for Armenia’s security calculus.

Episodes covering Erdogan address the Turkey-Azerbaijan-Armenia triangle, Turkey’s NATO role, and the implications of Ankara’s pan-Turkic ambitions for the long-term viability of an Armenian state on its historical territory.

35th Anniversary of the Sumgait Pogroms | Russia Warns the EU and Armenia | Armenian Azerbaijani Negotiations Continue | Ep 232 - Feb 26, 2023 [EP232]

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia

Guest:

Topics:

  • 35th Anniversary of the Sumgait Pogroms
  • Turkey after the Earthquake
  • One Year Anniversary of the War in Ukraine
  • Azerbaijan-Armenian Negotiations Continue
  • Personal topics

Episode 232 | Recorded: February 28, 2023

Anna Abrahamian: Munich Security Conference | Artsakh [EP230]

Posted on Friday, Feb 24, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, China, Russia, Azerbaijan | Series: cog, video

Today we’re going to talk with Anna Abrahamian about two or three topics.

  • The Munich Security Conference 2023.
  • We’ll touch on Russian president Putin’s state of the federation address.
  • The latest political developments in Artsakh.

Guest:

  • Anna Abrahamian, a geopolitical analyst who splits her time between Moscow and Athens. Having obtained training in international law, Anna has worked in such noteworthy institutions as the Defense Analyses Institute in Athens as well as the Crisis Group in Brussels. Today, Anna provides her analysis on geopolitics and Armenian politics to her
 Read More

Anna Abrahamian: Munich Security Conference | Artsakh [EP230]

Posted on Friday, Feb 24, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, China, Russia, Azerbaijan

Today we’re going to talk with Anna Abrahamian about two or three topics.

  • The Munich Security Conference 2023.
  • We’ll touch on Russian president Putin’s state of the federation address.
  • The latest political developments in Artsakh.

Guest:

  • Anna Abrahamian, a geopolitical analyst who splits her time between Moscow and Athens. Having obtained training in international law, Anna has worked in such noteworthy institutions as the Defense Analyses Institute in Athens as well as the Crisis Group in Brussels. Today, Anna provides her analysis on geopolitics and Armenian politics to her
 Read More

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria | Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict | Lavrov Interview | EU and CSTO Missions | Shifting Public Perceptions | Yerevan Political Shuffle | Ep 224 - Feb 12, 2023 [EP224]

Posted on Sunday, Feb 12, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Poll, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, Russia, Iran | Series: wir

Guest:

Topic:

  • Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
  • Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict
    • FM Lavrov’s Interview to Russian Media
    • EU vs CSTO Missions
    • Shifting Public Perceptions
  • Political Shuffles in Yerevan

Episode 224 | Recorded: February 12, 2023

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria | Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict | Lavrov Interview | EU and CSTO Missions | Shifting Public Perceptions | Yerevan Political Shuffle | Ep 224 - Feb 12, 2023 [EP224]

Posted on Sunday, Feb 12, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Poll, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, Russia, Iran

Guest:

Topic:

  • Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
  • Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict
    • FM Lavrov’s Interview to Russian Media
    • EU vs CSTO Missions
    • Shifting Public Perceptions
  • Political Shuffles in Yerevan

Episode 224 | Recorded: February 12, 2023

Arthur G Martirosyan | Army Day in Armenia | New EU Civilian Mission to Armenia | Politics of Artsakh Blockade | Ep 219 - Jan 29, 2023 [EP219]

Posted on Sunday, Jan 29, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Russia, Iran, USA | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • Army Day - January 28
    • Events at Yerablur
  • New EU Monitoring Mission
    • Armenia’s Diplomacy
    • Russia’s Increasing Displeasure
    • Iran’s Tempered Displeasure
  • Artsakh Blockade

Episode 219 | Recorded: January 29, 2023

Arthur G Martirosyan | Army Day in Armenia | New EU Civilian Mission to Armenia | Politics of Artsakh Blockade | Ep 219 - Jan 29, 2023 [EP219]

Posted on Sunday, Jan 29, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Russia, Iran, USA

Guest:

Topics:

  • Army Day - January 28
    • Events at Yerablur
  • New EU Monitoring Mission
    • Armenia’s Diplomacy
    • Russia’s Increasing Displeasure
    • Iran’s Tempered Displeasure
  • Artsakh Blockade

Episode 219 | Recorded: January 29, 2023

Hrant Mikaelian | Artsakh Blockade | Pashinyan Press Conference | Ministry of Interior Appointments | Artsakh Foreign Minister | Armenia Economy Outlook 2023 | Ep 206 - Jan 15, 2023 [EP206]

Posted on Sunday, Jan 15, 2023 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Russia | Series: wir

Guest:

  • Hrant Mikaelian, a political scientist and multidisciplinary researcher in social sciences based in Yerevan. He is also a senior researcher at the Caucasus Institute.

Topics:

  • Artsakh Update and Politics in Stepanakert
  • Pashinyan’s “Press Conference”
  • Ministry of Interior Affairs Appointments
  • Economic Review and Outlook in 2023
  • Personal Comments
    • Hrant - MPG polls results on Armenian Attitudes towards Russia
    • Hovik - Stop the destructive internal politics

Episode 206 | Recorded: January 15, 2023

Hrant Mikaelian | Artsakh Blockade | Pashinyan Press Conference | Ministry of Interior Appointments | Artsakh Foreign Minister | Armenia Economy Outlook 2023 | Ep 206 - Jan 15, 2023 [EP206]

Posted on Sunday, Jan 15, 2023 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Russia

Guest:

  • Hrant Mikaelian, a political scientist and multidisciplinary researcher in social sciences based in Yerevan. He is also a senior researcher at the Caucasus Institute.

Topics:

  • Artsakh Update and Politics in Stepanakert
  • Pashinyan’s “Press Conference”
  • Ministry of Interior Affairs Appointments
  • Economic Review and Outlook in 2023
  • Personal Comments
    • Hrant - MPG polls results on Armenian Attitudes towards Russia
    • Hovik - Stop the destructive internal politics

Episode 206 | Recorded: January 15, 2023