Tag: South Caucasus

The South Caucasus sits at the crossroads of Russia, Turkey, Iran, and the broader Middle East — a small region whose internal conflicts have consistently attracted the attention of great powers. The three states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia each navigate overlapping and often contradictory security relationships with Moscow, Washington, and Brussels, while managing unresolved territorial disputes and competing integration ambitions.

The 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war and Azerbaijan’s September 2023 offensive — which resulted in the ethnic cleansing of the entire Armenian population of Artsakh from Nagorno Karabakh — reshaped the regional order, accelerating Armenia’s pivot away from Russian security structures, deepening Azerbaijan’s strategic confidence, and leaving Georgia’s own geopolitical direction in flux following disputed elections and mass protests. The region has become a live testing ground for the limits of Russian influence, the reach of Western soft power, and the emerging role of powers like Turkey, Iran, India, and China.

Groong covers the South Caucasus comprehensively — not just Armenia’s domestic politics and security situation, but the regional dynamics that define the constraints and opportunities facing every state in the area. Episodes in this category examine bilateral relationships, multilateral formats, infrastructure corridors, and the geopolitical competition that makes the South Caucasus one of the most consequential small regions in Eurasian politics.

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:

  • Armenia’s 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, Ukraine

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

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

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

Meltdown at the MFA | Philip Reeker Visit | 15 POWs Return | Latest Polls | (Ep #70) - June 13, 2021 [EP70]

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 16, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh, Iran, Ukraine, China, Economy | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 13, 2021 Topics:

  • Meltdown at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Philip Reeker’s 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

Meltdown at the MFA | Philip Reeker Visit | 15 POWs Return | Latest Polls | (Ep #70) - June 13, 2021 [EP70]

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 16, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh, Iran, Ukraine, China, Economy

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 13, 2021 Topics:

  • Meltdown at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Philip Reeker’s 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

Azerbaijan Incursion in Syunik | Lavrov in Yerevan/Baku | Electoral Politics (Ep #61) May 16, 2021 [EP61]

Posted on Monday, May 17, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Iran, Ukraine, China, Genocide, India, Israel, Middle East | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - May 16, 2021 Topics:

  • Azerbaijan’s Incursion into Syunik
  • Lavrov’s Visit to Yerevan and Baku
  • Electoral Politics

Guests:

  • Tatul Hakobyan
  • Emil Sanamyan
  • Artyom Tonoyan

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan @HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian @qubriq

Episode 60 | Recorded: May 2, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210516.html

Azerbaijan Incursion in Syunik | Lavrov in Yerevan/Baku | Electoral Politics (Ep #61) May 16, 2021 [EP61]

Posted on Monday, May 17, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Iran, Ukraine, China, Genocide, India, Israel, Middle East

ANN/Groong Week in Review - May 16, 2021 Topics:

  • Azerbaijan’s Incursion into Syunik
  • Lavrov’s Visit to Yerevan and Baku
  • Electoral Politics

Guests:

  • Tatul Hakobyan
  • Emil Sanamyan
  • Artyom Tonoyan

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan @HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian @qubriq

Episode 60 | Recorded: May 2, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210516.html

PM Roadmap, NA Polls | Syunik | Recognized. What next? | Stepanakert | Space! - Ep #59: 2021-04-25 [EP59]

Posted on Monday, Apr 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Israel, Artsakh, China, Syria, Armenian Church | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - April 25, 2021

Topics:

  • Nikol Pashinyan’s Roadmap & Snap Parliamentary Polls
  • The Visit to Syunik
  • Biden Recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Now What?
  • Update from Stepanakert
  • Are we Going to Mars?

Guests:

  • Tevan Poghosyan
  • Emil Sanamyan

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210425.html Episode 59 | Recorded: April 25, 2021

PM Roadmap, NA Polls | Syunik | Recognized. What next? | Stepanakert | Space! - Ep #59: 2021-04-25 [EP59]

Posted on Monday, Apr 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Israel, Artsakh, China, Syria, Armenian Church

ANN/Groong Week in Review - April 25, 2021

Topics:

  • Nikol Pashinyan’s Roadmap & Snap Parliamentary Polls
  • The Visit to Syunik
  • Biden Recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Now What?
  • Update from Stepanakert
  • Are we Going to Mars?

Guests:

  • Tevan Poghosyan
  • Emil Sanamyan

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210425.html Episode 59 | Recorded: April 25, 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