Syunik

Last updated: May 29, 2026

Syunik is Armenia’s southernmost province, bordering Iran to the south and containing the cities of Goris and Kapan. It became a flashpoint in the post-2020 period for two related reasons: Azerbaijani demands for a transit corridor through its territory, and the ongoing encroachment of Azerbaijani forces on Armenian sovereign territory along its eastern and northern edges.

The proposed Zangezur Corridor — which Azerbaijan and Turkey have pushed for to connect Azerbaijan proper to the Nakhijevan exclave without crossing Armenian customs or security checkpoints — would run through Syunik. Armenia has consistently rejected extraterritorial corridor arrangements, insisting that any road or rail links operate under Armenian sovereignty and law. The dispute over this corridor has been one of the most contentious elements of the peace process.

Since 2021, Azerbaijani forces have occupied positions on Armenian sovereign territory in the Syunik region, including areas around Goris that effectively severed the direct road to Kapan for a period. The military pressure on Syunik is part of the broader pattern of Azerbaijani land seizures on Armenian territory that continued even after the 44-Day War ceasefire. Groong episodes covering Syunik address the corridor dispute, border security, and the strategic significance of Armenia’s southern corridor for its relationship with Iran.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Syunik.

Edgar Ghazaryan: Էդգար Ղազարյանը, Արցախում քաղաքական զարգացումների մասին | Ep 207 - Jan 17, 2023

Armenian News Network Groong - Jan 17, 2023

Guest/Հյուրը:

Topics:

Why should Ruben Vardanyan stay? Ինչու՞ պետք է Ռուբեն Վարդանյանը մնա

Episode 207 | Recorded: January 17, 2023

Edgar Ghazaryan: Էդգար Ղազարյանը, Արցախում քաղաքական զարգացումների մասին | Ep 207 - Jan 17, 2023

Armenian News Network Groong - Jan 17, 2023

Guest/Հյուրը:

Topics:

Why should Ruben Vardanyan stay? Ինչու՞ պետք է Ռուբեն Վարդանյանը մնա

Episode 207 | Recorded: January 17, 2023

Guest:

  • Hrant Mikaelian , a political scientist and multidisciplinary researcher in social sciences based in Yerevan. He is also a senior researcher at the Caucasus Institute.

Topics:

  • Artsakh Update and Politics in Stepanakert
  • Pashinyan’s “Press Conference”
  • Ministry of Interior Affairs Appointments
  • Economic Review and Outlook in 2023
  • Personal Comments
    • Hrant - MPG polls results on Armenian Attitudes towards Russia
    • Hovik - Stop the destructive internal politics

Episode 206 | Recorded: January 15, 2023

Guest:

  • Hrant Mikaelian , a political scientist and multidisciplinary researcher in social sciences based in Yerevan. He is also a senior researcher at the Caucasus Institute.

Topics:

  • Artsakh Update and Politics in Stepanakert
  • Pashinyan’s “Press Conference”
  • Ministry of Interior Affairs Appointments
  • Economic Review and Outlook in 2023
  • Personal Comments
    • Hrant - MPG polls results on Armenian Attitudes towards Russia
    • Hovik - Stop the destructive internal politics

Episode 206 | Recorded: January 15, 2023

Guest:

Topic:

  • Hovik’s Reflections from the Artsakh Blockade Interviews
  • Is Russia Pressuring Armenia to join a “Union State”?
  • Government Bill to Control the Internet During Martial Law
  • Highlights and Lowlights from Armenian News in 2022
  • Predictions for 2023

Episode 197 | Recorded: January 3, 2023

Guest:

Topic:

  • Hovik’s Reflections from the Artsakh Blockade Interviews
  • Is Russia Pressuring Armenia to join a “Union State”?
  • Government Bill to Control the Internet During Martial Law
  • Highlights and Lowlights from Armenian News in 2022
  • Predictions for 2023

Episode 197 | Recorded: January 3, 2023

Guest:

  • Karen Vrtanesyan , expert on military and warfare strategies with a focus on Armenia and its neighboring region. Co-founder of the website razm.info.

“This is not a humanitarian crisis. This is a political crisis, a crisis of statehood. -Karen Vrtanesyan

Topic:

This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian crisis in progress.

Links:

Episode 196 | Recorded: December 30, 2022

Guest:

  • Karen Vrtanesyan , expert on military and warfare strategies with a focus on Armenia and its neighboring region. Co-founder of the website razm.info.

“This is not a humanitarian crisis. This is a political crisis, a crisis of statehood. -Karen Vrtanesyan

Topic:

This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian crisis in progress.

Links:

Episode 196 | Recorded: December 30, 2022

Guest:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan , Chairman of the Yerevan based think tank Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies.

“Aliyev’s strategy is ’no Armenians, no problems’. What is our strategy?” -Benyamin Poghosyan

Topic:

More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, as this crisis enters its 16th day.

This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this

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