Democratic control of armed forces discussed at OSCE conference in Baku

BAKU, 3 August 2007 - The principles of democratic control of the armed forces and ways to address the welfare needs of Azerbaijan's service personnel were the focus of an OSCE meeting that ended in Baku today.

Participants at the two-day event discussed how to enhance the capacity of the community at large to ensure transparent and fair treatment for service personnel and their families, as well as topics such as human rights in the military context, the role of welfare in modern armed forces, and the role of external civil associations in the effective oversight of the security sector.

"I was glad to see people of different political and personal views united by a common desire to support the welfare needs of service personnel," said Robin Seaword, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Office in Baku.

"Such an open desire to make the principles of democratic control of the armed forces work has a clear potential for positive change."

Lieutenant General Chingiz Mammadov, the Deputy Defence Minister, added that the Government was committed to further moves aimed at enhancing the social welfare of the Armed Forces personnel.

"This event will positively affect the reforms being carried out within the Armed Forces and help Azerbaijan to integrate further into the European security system," he said.

The conference was attended by Government representatives, parliamentarians, and experts from Belgium, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. For the first time, members of the newly-formed National Association of Armed Forces Welfare Organizations participated in the event.

Democratic control of the armed forces is a key issue for the OSCE. It has also been identified as instrumental in the Organization's anti-terrorism efforts. OSCE principles regarding the use of armed forces in democratic societies are defined in the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security.