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.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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, Nagorno Karabakh

ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 25, 2021

Topics:

  • Escalation in Yeraskh
  • “Peace Treaty” 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, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, European Union | Series: cog

Armenian Foreign policy Between War and Peace A Conversation with Dr. Pietro Shakarian and Yeghia Tashjian

Topics:

  • Sparring Partners: Moscow and Ankara
  • Yerevan’s Diplomatic Dilemmas
  • Aliyev’s Appetite and Ambitions

Guests

  • Dr. Pietro Shakarian
  • Yeghia Tashjian

Guest(s):

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 East, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, European Union

Armenian Foreign policy Between War and Peace A Conversation with Dr. Pietro Shakarian and Yeghia Tashjian

Topics:

  • Sparring Partners: Moscow and Ankara
  • Yerevan’s Diplomatic Dilemmas
  • Aliyev’s Appetite and Ambitions

Guests

  • Dr. Pietro Shakarian
  • Yeghia Tashjian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 80 | Recorded: July 21, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210722.html

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, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 11, 2021

Topics:

  • Putin / Pashinyan meeting
  • Constitutional Court Challenge
  • Forging Steel out of Velvet
  • Groong Podcast’s Year-in-Review

Guests: Asbed Kotchikian

Guest(s):

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 East, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 11, 2021

Topics:

  • Putin / Pashinyan meeting
  • Constitutional Court Challenge
  • Forging Steel out of Velvet
  • Groong Podcast’s Year-in-Review

Guests: Asbed Kotchikian

Guest(s):

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, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: cog

Guest(s):

Preserving Armenian Heritage

Topics:

  • What is Armenian Art and Architecture?
  • Where does Artsakh’s 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

 Read More

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, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO

Guest(s):

Preserving Armenian Heritage

Topics:

  • What is Armenian Art and Architecture?
  • Where does Artsakh’s 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

 Read More

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, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 20, 2021 Topics:

  • Armenia’s Elections
  • Behind The Scenes with Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Erdogan in Azerbaijan
  • Biden Meets Erdogan, then Putin

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • @Emil_Sanamyan

Guest(s):

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, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 20, 2021 Topics:

  • Armenia’s Elections
  • Behind The Scenes with Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Erdogan in Azerbaijan
  • Biden Meets Erdogan, then Putin

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • @Emil_Sanamyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 74 | Recorded: June 20, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210620.html