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.
Syunik Blocked and Unblocked | 5-Year Plan Approved | Parliamentary Dynamics | Ep #87 - Aug 29, 2021 [EP87]
Posted on Sunday, Aug 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh, Economy, Georgia, Israel, Middle East
ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 29, 2021
Topics:
- Road to Syunik Blocked and Unblocked
- 5-Year Plan Approved
- Parliamentary Dynamics
Guests:
- Benyamin Poghosyan / TW @Benyamin_Poghos
Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian / TW @qubriq
Episode 87 | Recorded: August 29, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210829.html
Lebanon | Afghanistan | Armenian Parliament | Artsakh | Ep #85 - Aug 15, 2021 [EP85]
Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Russia, China, Syria, Artsakh, Middle East, Economy, Genocide, Human Rights, India, Israel | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 15, 2021
Topics:
- Lebanon in Crisis
- Taliban Takes Over Afghanistan
- 8th Convocation of the Parliament
- Developments around Artsakh
Guests:
- Asbed Kotchikian - https://twitter.com/AsbedK
- Katia Peltekian - https://twitter.com/KatiaPeltekian
- Benyamin Poghosyan - https://twitter.com/BeniaminPoghosyan
Asbed Kotchikian is an Associate Professor of political science and international relations at the American University of Armenia.
Benyamin Poghosyan is the chairman of the Center For Political and Economic Strategic Studies, a Yerevan based think tank. He was deputy
Read MoreLebanon | Afghanistan | Armenian Parliament | Artsakh | Ep #85 - Aug 15, 2021 [EP85]
Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Russia, China, Syria, Artsakh, Middle East, Economy, Genocide, Human Rights, India, IsraelANN/Groong Week in Review - August 15, 2021
Topics:
- Lebanon in Crisis
- Taliban Takes Over Afghanistan
- 8th Convocation of the Parliament
- Developments around Artsakh
Guests:
- Asbed Kotchikian - https://twitter.com/AsbedK
- Katia Peltekian - https://twitter.com/KatiaPeltekian
- Benyamin Poghosyan - https://twitter.com/BeniaminPoghosyan
Asbed Kotchikian is an Associate Professor of political science and international relations at the American University of Armenia.
Benyamin Poghosyan is the chairman of the Center For Political and Economic Strategic Studies, a Yerevan based think tank. He was deputy
Read MoreInstability on Am-Az Borders | Commission on War | 1st Sess of New Parliament | Ep #84 - Aug 1, 2021 [EP84]
Posted on Monday, Aug 2, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Economy, Iran, Artsakh, Human Rights, India, Syria | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 1, 2021
Topics:
- Continued Instability along Armenia-Azerbaijan Borders
- National Assembly Commission on the 44-Day War
- First Session of the 8th Session of the Armenian Parliament
Guests:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Benyamin Poghosyan
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Episode 84 | Recorded: August 2, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210801.html
Instability on Am-Az Borders | Commission on War | 1st Sess of New Parliament | Ep #84 - Aug 1, 2021 [EP84]
Posted on Monday, Aug 2, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Economy, Iran, Artsakh, Human Rights, India, SyriaANN/Groong Week in Review - August 1, 2021
Topics:
- Continued Instability along Armenia-Azerbaijan Borders
- National Assembly Commission on the 44-Day War
- First Session of the 8th Session of the Armenian Parliament
Guests:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Benyamin Poghosyan
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Episode 84 | Recorded: August 2, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210801.html
Escalation in Yeraskh | Gunpoint Diplomacy | Emigration | Guest Trip Report | Ep. 81 - July 25, 2021 [EP81]
Posted on Tuesday, Jul 27, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Artsakh, Iran, Middle East, Economy, China, Georgia, Lebanon, Ukraine | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 25, 2021
Topics:
- Escalation in Yeraskh
- âPeace Treatyâ at Gunpoint
- Emigration out of Armenia
- Trip Report from Our Guests
Guests:
Episode 81 | Recorded: July 26, 2021
Escalation in Yeraskh | Gunpoint Diplomacy | Emigration | Guest Trip Report | Ep. 81 - July 25, 2021 [EP81]
Posted on Tuesday, Jul 27, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Artsakh, Iran, Middle East, Economy, China, Georgia, Lebanon, UkraineANN/Groong Week in Review - July 25, 2021
Topics:
- Escalation in Yeraskh
- âPeace Treatyâ at Gunpoint
- Emigration out of Armenia
- Trip Report from Our Guests
Guests:
Episode 81 | Recorded: July 26, 2021
Armenian Foreign policy Between War and Peace | Ep #80 - July 22, 2021 [EP80]
Posted on Thursday, Jul 22, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Artsakh, Ukraine, Georgia, China, India, Syria, Economy, Middle East | Series: COG
Armenian Foreign policy Between War and Peace A Conversation with Dr. Pietro Shakarian and Yeghia Tashjian
Topics:
- Sparring Partners: Moscow and Ankara
- Yerevanâs Diplomatic Dilemmas
- Aliyevâs Appetite and Ambitions
Guests
- Dr. Pietro Shakarian
- Yeghia Tashjian
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Episode 80 | Recorded: July 21, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210722.html
Armenian Foreign policy Between War and Peace | Ep #80 - July 22, 2021 [EP80]
Posted on Thursday, Jul 22, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Artsakh, Ukraine, Georgia, China, India, Syria, Economy, Middle EastArmenian Foreign policy Between War and Peace A Conversation with Dr. Pietro Shakarian and Yeghia Tashjian
Topics:
- Sparring Partners: Moscow and Ankara
- Yerevanâs Diplomatic Dilemmas
- Aliyevâs Appetite and Ambitions
Guests
- Dr. Pietro Shakarian
- Yeghia Tashjian
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Episode 80 | Recorded: July 21, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210722.html