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.
Color Me Kazakhstan | Expectations From 1st Normalization Meeting on Friday | Ep #112 - Jan 9, 2022 [EP112]
Posted on Tuesday, Jan 11, 2022 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Ukraine, Iran, Georgia, Geopolitics, USA, China, Human Rights, Economy
ANN/Groong Week in Review - January 9, 2022
Topics:
- Color Me Kazakhstan
- Turkish-Armenian Normalization Meeting on January 14
Guests:
- Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@Benyamin_Poghos
- Pietro Shakarian
Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
Episode 112 | Recorded: Sunday, January 9, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220109.html
Turkish Armenian Normalization - Conversation with Harut Sassounian | Ep #111 - Jan 9, 2022 [EP111]
Posted on Sunday, Jan 9, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Russia, Israel, Artsakh, Economy, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Armenian Church, Georgia, Syria | Series: COG
Turkish-Armenian Normalization Negotiations A Conversation with Harut Sassounian
- Harut Sassounian has been the publisher of The California Courier newspaper since 1983. He is also the President of the Armenia Artsakh Fund, a non-profit organization which has delivered to Armenia and Artsakh $947 million of humanitarian assistance since 1989. He is currently engaged in forming the Diaspora Armenian Parliament through local elections.
Topics:
- History of Turkish-Armenian Attempts at Negotiations
- Who are The Players?
- Why Now? What’s on the Agenda?
- What are the Pitfalls and Opportunities?
Turkish Armenian Normalization - Conversation with Harut Sassounian | Ep #111 - Jan 9, 2022 [EP111]
Posted on Sunday, Jan 9, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Russia, Israel, Artsakh, Economy, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Armenian Church, Georgia, SyriaTurkish-Armenian Normalization Negotiations A Conversation with Harut Sassounian
- Harut Sassounian has been the publisher of The California Courier newspaper since 1983. He is also the President of the Armenia Artsakh Fund, a non-profit organization which has delivered to Armenia and Artsakh $947 million of humanitarian assistance since 1989. He is currently engaged in forming the Diaspora Armenian Parliament through local elections.
Topics:
- History of Turkish-Armenian Attempts at Negotiations
- Who are The Players?
- Why Now? What’s on the Agenda?
- What are the Pitfalls and Opportunities?
Normalization | Brussels Sprouts | NSC Chair in DC | Armenia Project Tour | Ep. 108 - Dec 19, 2021 [EP108]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 21, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 19, 2021
Topics:
- Turkish-Armenian normalization
- Brussels Sprouts
- Armen Grigoryan in Washington DC
- The Armenian Project - US Tour
- Analyst Rants
Guest:
Episode 108 | Recorded: December 20, 2021
Normalization | Brussels Sprouts | NSC Chair in DC | Armenia Project Tour | Ep. 108 - Dec 19, 2021 [EP108]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 21, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, RussiaANN/Groong Week in Review - December 19, 2021
Topics:
- Turkish-Armenian normalization
- Brussels Sprouts
- Armen Grigoryan in Washington DC
- The Armenian Project - US Tour
- Analyst Rants
Guest:
Episode 108 | Recorded: December 20, 2021
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 | 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
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 GenocideAnar 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
Zoom for Democracy | Domestic & Regional Politics | Artsakh Republic at 30 | Ep #106 - Dec 12, 2021 [EP106]
Posted on Monday, Dec 13, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, Georgia, China, Israel, Syria, Genocide, Human Rights, Economy, Armenian Genocide | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 12, 2021
Topics:
- Zoom for Democracy
- Domestic Politics
- Regional Politics
- Artsakh Independence at 30
- Analyst Rants
Guests:
- Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@benyamin_poghos
- Pietro Shakarian
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 106 | Recorded: Sunday, December 12, 2021
Zoom for Democracy | Domestic & Regional Politics | Artsakh Republic at 30 | Ep #106 - Dec 12, 2021 [EP106]
Posted on Monday, Dec 13, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, Georgia, China, Israel, Syria, Genocide, Human Rights, Economy, Armenian GenocideANN/Groong Week in Review - December 12, 2021
Topics:
- Zoom for Democracy
- Domestic Politics
- Regional Politics
- Artsakh Independence at 30
- Analyst Rants
Guests:
- Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@benyamin_poghos
- Pietro Shakarian
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 106 | Recorded: Sunday, December 12, 2021