During his opening speech at the ARF’s 16 regional assembly in Stepanakert today, Davit Ishkhanyan, the party’s Central Committee representative in Artsakh, stated that there was indeed a linkage between a settlement of the Karabakh conflict and the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations based on the Madrid Principles. Thus, Mr. Ishkhanyan said it was incumbent for Artsakh to directly tear down the Madrid Principles and thus indirectly hinder the current direction of Armenian-Turkish negotiations. He said that the RoA Foreign Minister and the ruling regime sadly neglected to take into account the right of the people of Artsakh to express their free will on the issue. The opening ceremonies, which were open to the public for the first time, were also attended by parliamentary and non-parliamentary political personages and groups in the NKR, as well as reporters. Also on hand was Vahan Hovhannisyan, a member of the ARF Bureau. Mr. Ishkhanyan stressed that Artsakh must undertake a campaign directed against the Madrid Principles and that all aligned forces of Armenia and the diaspora must be incorporated into such a strategy given that the issue at hand is a pan-national matter. The ARF official, during his evaluation of the party’s activities during the past two years regarding the settlement process, stated that the ARF had made much progress towards crystallizing a more defined set of principles that the NKR should take to the negotiations. He said that the party had severely weakened the position of those who called for a pragmatic approach to a settlement that would include territorial concessions. "The territorial integrity of the NKR is firmly entrenched in our society, despite attempts by those who attempt otherwise. We are certain that all political forces in the country are in accord with the view that the NKR must be a full party to the talks, that the territorial integrity of the country is a given and that the Madrid Principles must be replaced," he stated.