Today’s ceremonies in Berdzor, Kashatagh, marking the 18th anniversary of Artsakh independence, took on a decidely political overtone. More than 1,000 people, some from as far away as Vayots Dzor and Syunik, joined local government officials at the ceremony organized by the Kashatagh Regional Administration and the ARF. Davit Ishkhanyan, a representative of the ARF’s Artsakh Central Committee, told "Hetq" over the phone that the assembled throng had made it clear once again that the liberated territories were not subject to negotiation, despite whatever diplomatic processes are taking place in various European capitals. Mr. Ishkhanyan added that people were loudly chanting "No Way" whenever the Madrid Principles were mentioned and that the recent Armenian-Turkish negotiation protocols were also met with boos and hisses from the crowd.