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.
Talking with Alison Tahmizian Meuse | Ep. #100 - Nov 17, 2021 [EP100]
Posted on Tuesday, Nov 16, 2021 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Middle East, Genocide, India, Armenian Genocide, Economy, Georgia, USA, Russia
Talking with Alison Tahmizian Meuse - TW/@AliTahmizian - November 17, 2021
- Alison Tahmizian Meuse is a graduate of the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. She is a French and Arabic speaker, and a veteran Middle East journalist, having worked over the past decade as a producer, correspondent and editor for major international publications including Agence France-Presse, NPR, and the Asia Times. She currently serves as a strategic advisor for the New Delhi-based consultancy DeepStrat and is newly based in Yerevan.
Topics:
- The drive to cover dangerous
ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021
Topics:
- The War in Artsakh, One Year Later
- Erika Olson visits the South Caucasus
- Internal political developments
Guests:
- Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@Benyamin_Poghos
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 99 | Recorded: Monday, November 8, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211107.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021
Topics:
- The War in Artsakh, One Year Later
- Erika Olson visits the South Caucasus
- Internal political developments
Guests:
- Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@Benyamin_Poghos
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 99 | Recorded: Monday, November 8, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211107.html
Georgian Runoffs | Turkish Drones in Donbas | Iran-Turkey | G20 Palooza | Ep #96 - Oct 31, 2021 [EP96]
Posted on Monday, Nov 1, 2021 | Category: Russia, Iran, Armenia, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, China, Artsakh, Israel, Economy, Geopolitics, Human Rights, India | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 31, 2021
Topics:
- Georgiaâs Runoff Elections
- Turkish Drones in Donbas
- Iran-Turkey Tensions
- The G20 Palooza
Guests:
- Pietro Shakarian
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 96 | Recorded: October 31, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211031.html
Georgian Runoffs | Turkish Drones in Donbas | Iran-Turkey | G20 Palooza | Ep #96 - Oct 31, 2021 [EP96]
Posted on Monday, Nov 1, 2021 | Category: Russia, Iran, Armenia, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, China, Artsakh, Israel, Economy, Geopolitics, Human Rights, IndiaANN/Groong Week in Review - October 31, 2021
Topics:
- Georgiaâs Runoff Elections
- Turkish Drones in Donbas
- Iran-Turkey Tensions
- The G20 Palooza
Guests:
- Pietro Shakarian
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 96 | Recorded: October 31, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211031.html
Armenia's Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021 [EP95]
Posted on Friday, Oct 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, History, Maps | Series: COG, video
Armenia’s Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021
Guest:
Topics:
- Following the 44-day War in Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s president demands Armenia sign a “Peace Treaty” involving full border recognition.
- Historical and contemporary mapping of Armenian borders
- Early cartography and 20th-century developments
- Enclaves, the Goris-Kapan Highway, and Sev Lake
- Armenia-Iran border considerations
Episode 95 | Recorded: October 29, 2021
Armenia's Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021 [EP95]
Posted on Friday, Oct 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, History, MapsArmenia’s Borders in Maps - A Conversation with Rouben Galichian | Ep 95 - Oct 29, 2021
Guest:
Topics:
- Following the 44-day War in Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s president demands Armenia sign a “Peace Treaty” involving full border recognition.
- Historical and contemporary mapping of Armenian borders
- Early cartography and 20th-century developments
- Enclaves, the Goris-Kapan Highway, and Sev Lake
- Armenia-Iran border considerations
Episode 95 | Recorded: October 29, 2021
ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 17, 2021
Topics:
- A Flurry of Diplomatic Activity
- Results from Tavush, Shirak and Syunik
- Vaccination in Armenia
- Trust in the Authorities about Information from Border Areas
Guests:
- Hrant Mikaelian TW/@hrant_m
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 92 | Recorded: October 18, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211017.html
Flurry of Diplomacy | Regional Results | Vaccine Update | Trust in Gov Info | Ep #92 - Oct 17, 2021 [EP92]
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 19, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Georgia, Economy, Russia, Syria, Artsakh, India, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, UkraineANN/Groong Week in Review - October 17, 2021
Topics:
- A Flurry of Diplomatic Activity
- Results from Tavush, Shirak and Syunik
- Vaccination in Armenia
- Trust in the Authorities about Information from Border Areas
Guests:
- Hrant Mikaelian TW/@hrant_m
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
- Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
Episode 92 | Recorded: October 18, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211017.html