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.
Pietro Shakarian - Iran, Russia, and the Geopolitics of Post-Soviet Eurasia | Ep 506, Jan 16, 2026 [EP506]
Posted on Friday, Jan 16, 2026 | Category: Armenia, history, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Israel
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Unrest in Iran
- Russia-Iran Partnership
- Solovyovâs Statements
- Trumpâs âTRIPP Wireâ in the Caucasus
- Release of Armenian hostages
Episode 506 | Recorded on January 14, 2026
Fr. Serop Azarian - Armenian Church Under Attack | Ep 503, Jan 11, 2026 [EP503]
Posted on Sunday, Jan 11, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Armenian Church, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: cog, video
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Pashinyan Attacks: Geopolitics or Vendetta?
- Renegade Bishops: Demands and Narratives
- Stolen Church Property
- From Christmas to Easter
Episode 503 | Recorded: January 9, 2026
#ArmenianApostolicChurch #ArmenianChurch #Garegin #Catholicos #NikolPashinyan #ArmenianDiaspora
Fr. Serop Azarian - Armenian Church Under Attack | Ep 503, Jan 11, 2026 [EP503]
Posted on Sunday, Jan 11, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Armenian Church, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno KarabakhGroong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Pashinyan Attacks: Geopolitics or Vendetta?
- Renegade Bishops: Demands and Narratives
- Stolen Church Property
- From Christmas to Easter
Episode 503 | Recorded: January 9, 2026
#ArmenianApostolicChurch #ArmenianChurch #Garegin #Catholicos #NikolPashinyan #ArmenianDiaspora
Arthur Khachikyan - OSCE MG Dissolved, Libaridian on Submission, New Constitution, Armenian Church, Prayer Breakfast, Border Commissions meet in Baku | Ep 493, Nov 30, 2025 [EP493]
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Armenian Genocide | Series: wir, video
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- OSCE MG Dissolved
- Libaridian on Submitting to Turkey and Azerbaijan
- News Constitution to be Drafted by March 2026
- Archbishops, Letters, Attacks on the Church
- Border Commissions Meet in Baku
- Comments from Jacob Pursley
Episode 493 | Recorded: December 2, 2025
Arthur Khachikyan - OSCE MG Dissolved, Libaridian on Submission, New Constitution, Armenian Church, Prayer Breakfast, Border Commissions meet in Baku | Ep 493, Nov 30, 2025 [EP493]
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Armenian GenocideGroong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- OSCE MG Dissolved
- Libaridian on Submitting to Turkey and Azerbaijan
- News Constitution to be Drafted by March 2026
- Archbishops, Letters, Attacks on the Church
- Border Commissions Meet in Baku
- Comments from Jacob Pursley
Episode 493 | Recorded: December 2, 2025
Eldar Mamedov - The Global Geopolitics Surrounding the South Caucasus | Ep 492, Dec 1, 2025 [EP492]
Posted on Monday, Dec 1, 2025 | Category: World Order, TRIPP, Armenia, USA, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine | Series: cog, video
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- US and Venezuela
- Potential for New War on Iran
- Is Azerbaijan a âMiddle Powerâ?
- Europeâs Confused Geopolitical Identity
- Armeniaâs Confused Geopolitics
Episode 492 | Recorded: November 29, 2025
#IranCrisis #AzerbaijanPolitics #EuropeanGeopolitics #ArmeniaSecurity #SouthCaucasus #GlobalPowerPolitics
Eldar Mamedov - The Global Geopolitics Surrounding the South Caucasus | Ep 492, Dec 1, 2025 [EP492]
Posted on Monday, Dec 1, 2025 | Category: World Order, TRIPP, Armenia, USA, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, UkraineGroong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- US and Venezuela
- Potential for New War on Iran
- Is Azerbaijan a âMiddle Powerâ?
- Europeâs Confused Geopolitical Identity
- Armeniaâs Confused Geopolitics
Episode 492 | Recorded: November 29, 2025
#IranCrisis #AzerbaijanPolitics #EuropeanGeopolitics #ArmeniaSecurity #SouthCaucasus #GlobalPowerPolitics
Arthur Khachatryan - Euronest, Aliyev Transit Move, Gyumri Mayor Arrest, Pashinyan vs. Church | Ep 481, Oct 26, 2025 [EP481]
Posted on Friday, Oct 31, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Armenian Church, Georgia, Turkey, Russia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: wir
Groong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Euronest session takeaways
- Aliyevâs transit move and TRIPP
- Gyumri mayor arrest fallout
- Pashinyanâs push to control the Church
Episode 481 | Recorded: October 29, 2025
Arthur Khachatryan - Euronest, Aliyev Transit Move, Gyumri Mayor Arrest, Pashinyan vs. Church | Ep 481, Oct 26, 2025 [EP481]
Posted on Friday, Oct 31, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Armenian Church, Georgia, Turkey, Russia, Artsakh, Nagorno KarabakhGroong Links:
Guest:
Topics:
- Euronest session takeaways
- Aliyevâs transit move and TRIPP
- Gyumri mayor arrest fallout
- Pashinyanâs push to control the Church
Episode 481 | Recorded: October 29, 2025