July 2020 marked one of the most intense escalations in the more than thirty-year-old conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the occupied Azerbaijani territories – Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. The sudden clashes, which occurred on 12–14 July on the state border between the two sides in the direction of the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan, geographically far from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, resulted in the loss of up to 20 military servicemen on both sides. The recent historical background of these clashes and the developments following them demonstrate that the two conflicting countries have entered a period that is likely to be more dangerous and unstable for the peace and security of the region.