July 2020 Clashes

Last updated: May 31, 2026

Between July 12 and 30, 2020, Azerbaijani forces launched attacks on Armenian positions in Tavush Province along the border with Azerbaijan’s Tovuz district. Armenia said it repelled the incursion and inflicted substantial casualties, including a high-ranking Azerbaijani general and colonel. The exchange was the most serious outbreak of fighting since the four-day April 2016 war, and it drew mass rallies in Yerevan where crowds gathered in front of the Defense Ministry to express support for the army.

The clashes coincided with a broader regional shift. Turkey had already been deepening its military ties with Azerbaijan, and Turkish F-16s arrived at Azerbaijani bases during the fighting, provoking sharp protests from Armenia and international observers. Ilham Aliyev framed the fighting as an Armenian provocation; Yerevan denied initiating the exchange. The pattern of mutual blame and escalating rhetoric that characterized July 2020 would repeat itself, at far greater scale, when Azerbaijan launched the 44-Day War in September 2020.

The July clashes also exposed the limits of the collective-security framework: the CSTO made no meaningful response despite Armenia being a member. That silence became a recurring reference point in subsequent debates about Armenia’s security posture and its relationships with Russia and the West.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with July 2020 Clashes.

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 22, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:05 “Agenda of Peace” Negotiations Continue
  • 34:49 Iran-Armenia Relations
  • 44:00 CSTO Leaders Meeting in Moscow
  • 49:44 State of the Opposition Protests
  • 59:51 Hovik’s Rant

Guests:

  • Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos

Host:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 139 | Recorded: Monday, May 23, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220522.html #zartnirlao

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 22, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:05 “Agenda of Peace” Negotiations Continue
  • 34:49 Iran-Armenia Relations
  • 44:00 CSTO Leaders Meeting in Moscow
  • 49:44 State of the Opposition Protests
  • 59:51 Hovik’s Rant

Guests:

  • Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos

Host:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 139 | Recorded: Monday, May 23, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220522.html #zartnirlao

Anar Valiyev and Benyamin Poghosyan discuss stumbling blocks in post-war negotiations

Guests:

  • Dr. Anar Valiyev, Associate Professor at Azerbaijani Diplomatic Academy (ADA) University in Baku.
  • Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan, Chairman of Yerevan-based think tank Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies.

Topics:

  • Artsakh Status (@4:54)
  • Is the conflict really “solved” (@11:04)
  • Opening of Communications (@38:52)
  • Corridor for Corridor (@46:32)
  • “Unimpeded” Access (@50:15)
  • Russia’s regional role (@53:16)
  • Turkey’s regional role (@58:48)
  • 3+3 or 3+2 Format
 Read More

Anar Valiyev and Benyamin Poghosyan discuss stumbling blocks in post-war negotiations

Guests:

  • Dr. Anar Valiyev, Associate Professor at Azerbaijani Diplomatic Academy (ADA) University in Baku.
  • Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan, Chairman of Yerevan-based think tank Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies.

Topics:

  • Artsakh Status (@4:54)
  • Is the conflict really “solved” (@11:04)
  • Opening of Communications (@38:52)
  • Corridor for Corridor (@46:32)
  • “Unimpeded” Access (@50:15)
  • Russia’s regional role (@53:16)
  • Turkey’s regional role (@58:48)
  • 3+3 or 3+2 Format
 Read More

ANN Groong Week in Review - 07/26/2020

Topics:

  • Panel: War roundup / Artsakh
  • Conversation: National Security Doctrine
  • Panel: National Security Doctrine

Guests

A Conversation with

Episode 4 | Recorded on July 26, 2020

ANN Groong Week in Review - 07/26/2020

Topics:

  • Panel: War roundup / Artsakh
  • Conversation: National Security Doctrine
  • Panel: National Security Doctrine

Guests

A Conversation with

Episode 4 | Recorded on July 26, 2020

ANN/Groong Week in Review - 07/12/2020

Topics:

  • The Constitutional Court Standoff Continues in Limbo
  • Polls, and what you should know about them
  • The Armenian Government’s response to COVID-19
  • The State of Armenian Media: Media Freedoms During Covid

Guests:

Episode 1 | Recorded on July 12, 2020

ANN/Groong Week in Review - 07/12/2020

Topics:

  • The Constitutional Court Standoff Continues in Limbo
  • Polls, and what you should know about them
  • The Armenian Government’s response to COVID-19
  • The State of Armenian Media: Media Freedoms During Covid

Guests:

Episode 1 | Recorded on July 12, 2020