OSCE meeting in Baku discusses standards in civil-military relations

BAKU, 14 February 2007 - The welfare of the armed forces and relationship with civil society were the focus of a discussion at a two-day OSCE meeting which ended in Baku today.

Government officials, military personnel and parliamentarians discussed human rights in the military context, the role of welfare in modern armed forces, as well as creating civil associations for effective oversight of the security sector. Experts from Belgium, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom shared their experience in the field.

"There is no single solution which can fit every country's needs, but this meeting has clearly demonstrated Azerbaijan's determination to approach the issue of democratic control with an open mind and a readiness to explore the options," said Robin Seaword, Deputy Head of the OSCE Office in Baku. "We stand ready to provide whatever support is needed to help achieve this goal."

Chingiz Mammadov, Deputy Defence Minister, emphasized the importance of democratic principles and standards in civil-military relations.

"We highly evaluate the outcome of discussions and hope to see this event as a first step towards the common goal of cementing the principles of democratic control in Azerbaijan's armed forces," he said.

In 2006, a similar event on military unions, held in Bucharest under the auspices of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, was attended by representatives of the Azerbaijani Government.

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.