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.
Putin / Pashinyan | Const. Court | Steel out of Velvet | Year-in-Review (Ep #78) - July 11, 2021 [EP78]
Posted on Tuesday, Jul 13, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Economy, Iran, Ukraine, Artsakh, Syria, Genocide, Middle East | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 11, 2021
Topics:
- Putin / Pashinyan meeting
- Constitutional Court Challenge
- Forging Steel out of Velvet
- Groong Podcastâs Year-in-Review
Guests: Asbed Kotchikian
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210711.html
Episode 78 | Recorded: July 11, 2021
Putin / Pashinyan | Const. Court | Steel out of Velvet | Year-in-Review (Ep #78) - July 11, 2021 [EP78]
Posted on Tuesday, Jul 13, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Economy, Iran, Ukraine, Artsakh, Syria, Genocide, Middle EastANN/Groong Week in Review - July 11, 2021
Topics:
- Putin / Pashinyan meeting
- Constitutional Court Challenge
- Forging Steel out of Velvet
- Groong Podcastâs Year-in-Review
Guests: Asbed Kotchikian
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210711.html
Episode 78 | Recorded: July 11, 2021
Preserving Armenian Heritage - Maghakyan, Khatchadourian, Maranci | Ep #77 - June 30, 2021 [EP77]
Posted on Wednesday, Jun 30, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Artsakh, Armenian Church, Human Rights, Genocide, Syria | Series: COG
Preserving Armenian Heritage
Topics:
- What is Armenian Art and Architecture?
- Where does Artsakhâs Heritage fit in the larger Armenian picture?
- What Armenian Heritage fell under Azerbaijani Control in 2020?
- What is Caucasus Heritage Watch and What does it do?
- What can International Organizations do for Artsakh?
- How do International Instruments fail in Preserving Armenian Heritage?
Host:
- Simon Maghakyan is an independent researcher of cultural destruction and lecturer in International Relations at the University of Colorado Denver.
Guests
- Dr. Lori Khatchadourian is Associate Professor of
Preserving Armenian Heritage - Maghakyan, Khatchadourian, Maranci | Ep #77 - June 30, 2021 [EP77]
Posted on Wednesday, Jun 30, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Artsakh, Armenian Church, Human Rights, Genocide, SyriaPreserving Armenian Heritage
Topics:
- What is Armenian Art and Architecture?
- Where does Artsakhâs Heritage fit in the larger Armenian picture?
- What Armenian Heritage fell under Azerbaijani Control in 2020?
- What is Caucasus Heritage Watch and What does it do?
- What can International Organizations do for Artsakh?
- How do International Instruments fail in Preserving Armenian Heritage?
Host:
- Simon Maghakyan is an independent researcher of cultural destruction and lecturer in International Relations at the University of Colorado Denver.
Guests
- Dr. Lori Khatchadourian is Associate Professor of
ArmVote21 | Am/Az Negotiations | Erdogan in Az | Biden Meets Erdogan & Putin| Ep #74 - June 20, 2021 [EP74]
Posted on Monday, Jun 21, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, China, Middle East, Armenian Genocide, Genocide, Georgia, Syria, Ukraine | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 20, 2021 Topics:
- Armeniaâs Elections
- Behind The Scenes with Armenia and Azerbaijan
- Erdogan in Azerbaijan
- Biden Meets Erdogan, then Putin
Guests:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- @Emil_Sanamyan
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Episode 74 | Recorded: June 20, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210620.html
ArmVote21 | Am/Az Negotiations | Erdogan in Az | Biden Meets Erdogan & Putin| Ep #74 - June 20, 2021 [EP74]
Posted on Monday, Jun 21, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, China, Middle East, Armenian Genocide, Genocide, Georgia, Syria, UkraineANN/Groong Week in Review - June 20, 2021 Topics:
- Armeniaâs Elections
- Behind The Scenes with Armenia and Azerbaijan
- Erdogan in Azerbaijan
- Biden Meets Erdogan, then Putin
Guests:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- @Emil_Sanamyan
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Episode 74 | Recorded: June 20, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210620.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 13, 2021 Topics:
- Meltdown at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Philip Reekerâs Visit to the Region
- 15 POWs Return Home
- Latest Election Poll Results
Guests:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Tevan Poghosyan
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Episode 70 | Recorded: June 13, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210613.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 13, 2021 Topics:
- Meltdown at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Philip Reekerâs Visit to the Region
- 15 POWs Return Home
- Latest Election Poll Results
Guests:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Tevan Poghosyan
Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Episode 70 | Recorded: June 13, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210613.html
Unblocking The South Caucasus, Facts & 'Alternative Facts' | Ep 83 - Aug 1, 2021 (Recorded 6/14/21) [EP83]
Posted on Monday, Jun 14, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Georgia, Iran, Russia | Series: cog
Guests:
Topic:
- This Conversations on Groong episode is our first Live Show on Clubhouse and hopefully it will be an informative, as well as an enjoyable discussion for all. We will be talking about the politics of opening the paths of communication, lifting blockades, and the rumors, facts, and fallacies around so-called âcorridorsâ through each otherâs countries.
Episode 83 | Recorded: June 14, 2021