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.
Yeghia Tashjian | Artsakh Blockade | Relations with Russia | Role of the Armenian Government | Draft 'Peace' Proposals | Weekend Protests in Artsakh [EP194]
Posted on Monday, Dec 26, 2022 | Category: Politics, Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey
Guest:
Topic:
- The Artsakh Blockade
- The Role of the Armenian Government
- Relations with Russia
- Latest Draft of “Peace” Proposal
- Weekend Protests in Artsakh
Episode 194 | Recorded: December 26, 2022
Arthur Khachatryan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 15 [EP193]
Posted on Monday, Dec 26, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade | Series: cog, video
Guest:
- Arthur Khachatryan, an MP from the Hayastan (Armenia) alliance and member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF Dashnaktsutyun). In the past, he held government posts such as Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Development, Governor of Shirak, and Minister of Agriculture.
“The Armenian authorities are trying to bury the issue of status of Artsakh” -Arthur Khachatryan
Topic:
More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijanâs blockade of the Lachin corridor, as this crisis enters its 15th day.
Read MoreArthur Khachatryan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 15 [EP193]
Posted on Monday, Dec 26, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh BlockadeGuest:
- Arthur Khachatryan, an MP from the Hayastan (Armenia) alliance and member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF Dashnaktsutyun). In the past, he held government posts such as Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Development, Governor of Shirak, and Minister of Agriculture.
“The Armenian authorities are trying to bury the issue of status of Artsakh” -Arthur Khachatryan
Topic:
More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijanâs blockade of the Lachin corridor, as this crisis enters its 15th day.
Read MoreEdgar Elbakyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 13 [EP192]
Posted on Saturday, Dec 24, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade | Series: cog, video
Guest:
- Edgar Elbakyan, a political scientist and social thinker based in Yerevan, Armenia. He is a co-founder of the Armenian Project non-profit organization, which contributes to enhancing Armenian national civil society.
“The problem is not resources or power, the problem is how you put forward your goals”
Topic:
The blockade of Artsakh is now 13 days old. More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh). Supermarket shelves are empty. Essential medicine is running out.
On Friday, December 23, thatâs yesterday, a meeting between
Read MoreEdgar Elbakyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 13 [EP192]
Posted on Saturday, Dec 24, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh BlockadeGuest:
- Edgar Elbakyan, a political scientist and social thinker based in Yerevan, Armenia. He is a co-founder of the Armenian Project non-profit organization, which contributes to enhancing Armenian national civil society.
“The problem is not resources or power, the problem is how you put forward your goals”
Topic:
The blockade of Artsakh is now 13 days old. More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh). Supermarket shelves are empty. Essential medicine is running out.
On Friday, December 23, thatâs yesterday, a meeting between
Read MoreVaruzhan Geghamyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 11 [EP191]
Posted on Friday, Dec 23, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade | Series: cog, video
“Turkish threats are going to disappear only when there is no Armenia” - Varuzhan Geghamyan
Guest:
Topic:
- We continue our coverage of the crisis in Artsakh by developments in the UN Security Council as well as Turkish and Iranian concerns in the region.
- More than 120 thousand people, including 30 thousand children, are under siege. Today is the 11th day of the crisis.
- This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between ANN/Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian
Varuzhan Geghamyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 11 [EP191]
Posted on Friday, Dec 23, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade“Turkish threats are going to disappear only when there is no Armenia” - Varuzhan Geghamyan
Guest:
Topic:
- We continue our coverage of the crisis in Artsakh by developments in the UN Security Council as well as Turkish and Iranian concerns in the region.
- More than 120 thousand people, including 30 thousand children, are under siege. Today is the 11th day of the crisis.
- This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between ANN/Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian
Aram Orbelyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 11 [EP190]
Posted on Friday, Dec 23, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Armenian Genocide, Artsakh Blockade | Series: cog, video
“Current Armenian government blames everyone, but themselves, Azerbaijan and Turkey.” -Aram Orbelyan
Guest:
- Aram Orbelyan, an international law specialist, who is an attorney and managing partner at Concern Dialog law firm, and PhD in Public international law. Mr. Orbelyan lectures at the Academy of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia, and lectured public international law at French University of Armenia. Mr. Orbelyan was Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia between 2011 and 2014.
Topic:
This is Day 11 of the complete blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. More than 120 thousand
Read MoreAram Orbelyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 11 [EP190]
Posted on Friday, Dec 23, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Armenian Genocide, Artsakh Blockade“Current Armenian government blames everyone, but themselves, Azerbaijan and Turkey.” -Aram Orbelyan
Guest:
- Aram Orbelyan, an international law specialist, who is an attorney and managing partner at Concern Dialog law firm, and PhD in Public international law. Mr. Orbelyan lectures at the Academy of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia, and lectured public international law at French University of Armenia. Mr. Orbelyan was Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia between 2011 and 2014.
Topic:
This is Day 11 of the complete blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. More than 120 thousand
Read More