The welfare of the armed forces and the relationship with civil society were the focus of a discussion at a two-day OSCE meeting which ended in Baku, Trend reports.
Government officials, military personnel and parliamentarians discussed human rights in a military context, the role of welfare in modern armed forces, as well as creating civil associations for an 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, reports Trend.
"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 was held in Bucharest under the auspices of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights