Catholicos Karekin II slams Azerbaijan's installment of checkpoint on Artsakh road

His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, denounced Azerbaijan's establishment of a checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor, the sole road linking Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to Armenia.

"Yesterday we learned about this criminal and condemnable action carried out against the people of Artsakh by the Azerbaijani authorities,” Karekin II told reporters as he visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan on April 24, a day when Armenians commemorate the 108th anniversary of the Ottoman-era massacre.

He stressed Azerbaijan “clearly seeks to evict Armenians from Artsakh and take control over it”.

"We condemn such inhumane actions repeatedly carried out against our compatriots in Artsakh," the Armenian spiritual leader said, urging the Artsakh Armenians to stay strong.