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.

Early Elections on June 20th | Gas through Azerbaijan | Military Exercises | (Ep #54) - 03/21/2021 [EP54]

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 23, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia, Syria, Turkey, Israel, Genocide, Iran, China | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - March 21, 2021

Topics:

  • Snap On - June 20th!
  • Gas Through Azerbaijan
  • Military Exercises by Armenia and Azerbaijan

Guests

  • David Davidian
  • Emil Sanamyan

Hosts

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210321.html Episode 54 | Recorded: March 21, 2021

Early Elections on June 20th | Gas through Azerbaijan | Military Exercises | (Ep #54) - 03/21/2021 [EP54]

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 23, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia, Syria, Turkey, Israel, Genocide, Iran, China

ANN/Groong Week in Review - March 21, 2021

Topics:

  • Snap On - June 20th!
  • Gas Through Azerbaijan
  • Military Exercises by Armenia and Azerbaijan

Guests

  • David Davidian
  • Emil Sanamyan

Hosts

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210321.html Episode 54 | Recorded: March 21, 2021

Iskander & Relations with Russia | Attempted Coup? | Opposition | Boeing 737 Hijacked? (Ep #52) [EP52]

Posted on Sunday, Feb 28, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Israel, Economy, Syria, Ukraine | Series: WIR

ANN Groong Week in Review - Episode 52 - Feb 28, 2021

Topics Covered:

  • Wait, Did Armenia Use the Iskander to Blow Up its Relations With Russia?
  • Wait, Was There a Coup?
  • The Opposition Picks up Steam
  • Wait, was The 737 Hijacked?

Guests:

  • David Davidian
  • George Tabakian

Your Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210228.html Episode 52 | Recorded: February 28, 2021

Iskander & Relations with Russia | Attempted Coup? | Opposition | Boeing 737 Hijacked? (Ep #52) [EP52]

Posted on Sunday, Feb 28, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Israel, Economy, Syria, Ukraine

ANN Groong Week in Review - Episode 52 - Feb 28, 2021

Topics Covered:

  • Wait, Did Armenia Use the Iskander to Blow Up its Relations With Russia?
  • Wait, Was There a Coup?
  • The Opposition Picks up Steam
  • Wait, was The 737 Hijacked?

Guests:

  • David Davidian
  • George Tabakian

Your Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210228.html Episode 52 | Recorded: February 28, 2021

Lost in Artsakh | Law on Mass Media | Political Scene in Yerevan | Economic Outlook (Ep #48) [EP48]

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 9, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Artsakh, Economy, Iran, China, Turkey | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 48 - February 7, 2021

Topics Covered:

  • Lost in Artsakh, Thirsty in Syunik
  • Amending the Law on Mass Media
  • Update on the Political Scene in Yerevan
  • Rising National Debt, Inflation and Interest Rates

Guests

  • Hrant Mikaelian
  • Emil Sanamyan

Your Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210207.html Recorded: February 7, 2021

Lost in Artsakh | Law on Mass Media | Political Scene in Yerevan | Economic Outlook (Ep #48) [EP48]

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 9, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Artsakh, Economy, Iran, China, Turkey

ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 48 - February 7, 2021

Topics Covered:

  • Lost in Artsakh, Thirsty in Syunik
  • Amending the Law on Mass Media
  • Update on the Political Scene in Yerevan
  • Rising National Debt, Inflation and Interest Rates

Guests

  • Hrant Mikaelian
  • Emil Sanamyan

Your Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210207.html Recorded: February 7, 2021

Constitutional Amendment | Opp Rising | Zarif Tour | Virus Update | Armenia Fund & the Dram (Ep #47) [EP47]

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Iran, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Economy, Israel, Russia, Artsakh, Geopolitics, Turkey | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - Jan 31, 2021

Topics Covered:

  • Another Constitutional Amendment?
  • Opposition Rising: New Bottle, Old Wine?
  • Iran’s FM Zarif on a Tour de Six
  • State of the Virus in Armenia
  • Armenia Fund Used to Shore up the Dram?

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Hrant Mikaelian

Your Hosts:

  • Alen Zamanyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210131.html Episode 47 | Recorded on January 31, 2021

Constitutional Amendment | Opp Rising | Zarif Tour | Virus Update | Armenia Fund & the Dram (Ep #47) [EP47]

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Iran, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Economy, Israel, Russia, Artsakh, Geopolitics, Turkey

ANN/Groong Week in Review - Jan 31, 2021

Topics Covered:

  • Another Constitutional Amendment?
  • Opposition Rising: New Bottle, Old Wine?
  • Iran’s FM Zarif on a Tour de Six
  • State of the Virus in Armenia
  • Armenia Fund Used to Shore up the Dram?

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Hrant Mikaelian

Your Hosts:

  • Alen Zamanyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210131.html Episode 47 | Recorded on January 31, 2021

Supreme Judicial Council | Turk-Azerbaijani Military Exercises in Kars | Blinken on Armenia (Ep #45) [EP45]

Posted on Monday, Jan 25, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Genocide, Syria, Artsakh, Armenian Genocide, Israel | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - Jan 24, 2021

Topics Covered:

  • Supreme Judicial Council Appointments
  • Turkish-Azerbaijan Military Exercises in Kars Region
  • Incoming US Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Armenia

Guests

  • Aram Hamparian
  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Emil Sanamyan

Your Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210124.html Episode 45 | Recorded on January 24, 2021