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.
ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 26 - Nov 8, 2020
Topics Covered:
- Six weeks of war, what to do next.
- What is Russia thinking?
- To recognize or not to recognize.
Your Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan
Resident Panelists:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Emil Sanamyan
- Yeghia Tashjian
Recorded: Nov 7, 2020
ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 26 - Nov 8, 2020
Topics Covered:
- Six weeks of war, what to do next.
- What is Russia thinking?
- To recognize or not to recognize.
Your Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan
Resident Panelists:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Emil Sanamyan
- Yeghia Tashjian
Recorded: Nov 7, 2020
ANN/Groong Week in Review - 10/25/2020
Topics Covered:
- International diplomacy on the move?
- What is Turkeyâs endgame?
- War and post-war economy
- Update on COVID
Guests:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Hrant Mikaelian
- Emil Sanamyan
Your Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20201025.html Episode 23 | Recorded on October 25, 2020
International diplomacy | Turkey’s endgame | War and post-war economy | Update on COVID - 10/25/2020 [EP23]
Posted on Wednesday, Oct 28, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Economy, Armenian Genocide, Genocide, LebanonANN/Groong Week in Review - 10/25/2020
Topics Covered:
- International diplomacy on the move?
- What is Turkeyâs endgame?
- War and post-war economy
- Update on COVID
Guests:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Hrant Mikaelian
- Emil Sanamyan
Your Hosts:
- Hovik Manucharyan
- Asbed Bedrossian
Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20201025.html Episode 23 | Recorded on October 25, 2020
ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 18, 2020
Topics Covered:
- In retrospect: Tracing our steps back to Sep. 27
- Call from extra-parliamentary opposition for a War Council
- Mobilization of the Armenian diaspora
Your Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan
Resident Panelists:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Emil Sanamyan
Episode 22. Recorded: October18, 2020 Playlist: WiR (Week in Review)
ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 18, 2020
Topics Covered:
- In retrospect: Tracing our steps back to Sep. 27
- Call from extra-parliamentary opposition for a War Council
- Mobilization of the Armenian diaspora
Your Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Hovik Manucharyan
Resident Panelists:
- Asbed Kotchikian
- Emil Sanamyan
Episode 22. Recorded: October18, 2020 Playlist: WiR (Week in Review)
Artsakh War: Security situation | Diplomatic activity | Humanitarian impact (Ep. 21) [EP21]
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 13, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Russia, Human Rights, Genocide, Syria | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 12, 2020
Topics Covered:
- Security situation on the ground;
- Diplomatic activity, short & long term goals;
- Humanitarian impact in Artsakh & Armenia;
- Effect of social media on the war.
Your Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Asbed Kotchikian
Resident Panelists:
- Lara Aharonian: Co-founder & co-director of the Women’s Resource Center NGO in Yerevan
- Robert Avetisyan: Representative of Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the US
Episode 21 Recorded: Oct 12, 2020 Full details: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20201012.html Playlist: WiR (Week in Review)
Artsakh War: Security situation | Diplomatic activity | Humanitarian impact (Ep. 21) [EP21]
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 13, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Russia, Human Rights, Genocide, SyriaANN/Groong Week in Review - October 12, 2020
Topics Covered:
- Security situation on the ground;
- Diplomatic activity, short & long term goals;
- Humanitarian impact in Artsakh & Armenia;
- Effect of social media on the war.
Your Hosts:
- Asbed Bedrossian
- Asbed Kotchikian
Resident Panelists:
- Lara Aharonian: Co-founder & co-director of the Women’s Resource Center NGO in Yerevan
- Robert Avetisyan: Representative of Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the US
Episode 21 Recorded: Oct 12, 2020 Full details: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20201012.html Playlist: WiR (Week in Review)
Stepanakert Cluster Bombed | Turkey's Role | Russia Quiet | What's Next? | Ep. 20 - Oct 4, 2020 [EP20]
Posted on Monday, Oct 5, 2020 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Iran, Syria, Geopolitics | Series: WIR
ANN/Groong Week in Review - October 4, 2020
Topics:
- Stepanakert under persistent bombardment using banned cluster bombs.
- Turkeyâs role in the war.
- Why is Russia quiet?
- What can we expect next?
Guests:
Episode 20 | Recorded: Oct 3, 2020