OSCE Office supports publication on democratic control of the armed forces in Armenia

YEREVAN, 14 November 2011 – A compilation of articles on the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security, its history and political context, and the experience of Armenia and other countries in implementing the Code was presented in Yerevan today.

The volume provides a comprehensive overview of democratic control over the security sector from the point of view of experts from Drastamat Kanayan Institute for National Strategic Studies under the Armenian Ministry of Defence, as well as other institutions, including the Human Rights Defender’s Office and Yerevan State University. The compilation was supported by the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

The OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security is one of the main OSCE mechanisms to address global security challenges. Adopted in 1994, it remains a unique document aimed at regulating the role of armed forces in democratic societies. It also commits the OSCE participating States to developing a comprehensive mechanism of civilian control over their armed forces, including the military, paramilitary and security forces, intelligence services and the police.

“Without effective democratic civilian control and governance of security sector institutions, there can be no substantial progress in terms of overall security,” said Lilian Salaru, the Politico-Military Programme Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan. “I hope that this new publication will raise interest among civil society, academics and policy makers in the different systems and oversight bodies of democratic control over the security sector from international and Armenian perspectives.”

“The idea for this compilation is a result of the close co-operation between the OSCE Office and our Institute,” said Varuzhan Avetisyan, the Deputy Chief Editor of “Haikakan Banak” Defence Academic Journal, Drastamat Kanayan Institute for National Strategic Studies under the Armenian Ministry of Defence.  “The publication is in line with the main objectives of Armenia’s ongoing defence reform and the process of strengthening democratic values in the military. Democratic control of the armed forces, defence sector management, and financial, information and other frameworks are reviewed and analysed here in the context of democratic values and contemporary legal standards, and  the publication offers recommendations for improvement.”

The electronic version of the report is available at //www.osce.org/yerevan/84943.