On June 26-27 "NATO and Democratic Civil Control of the Armed Forces" seminar was held in Yerevan by NATO and Yerevan Press Club with the co-funding of Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation-Armenia and in cooperation with Geneva Centre for Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF). The meeting participants – the representatives of NATO, DCAF, RA Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs, the Standing Committee of Defense, National Security and Interior Affairs of the RA National Assembly, Armenian NGOs and media – discussed the role of the armed forces in the context of the new threats to security present in the world after September 11, 2001, the issues of democratic civil control over the armed forces, non-military armed forces (police, para-military forces and border guards), transforming the armed forces in transition countries, including Armenia, the relations of the North Atlantic Alliance and the media, reporting on security issues in South Caucasus, the role of civil society and media in democracy. The presentations on these subjects were made by Frank Boland, the Deputy Director of Force Planning of NATO Defense Planning and Operations Division, Marina Caparini, DCAF fellow, Simone de Manso, the Press Officer of NATO Office of Information and Press, Major-General Misha Melkonian, Head of Department of International Relations and Military Cooperation of the RA Ministry of Defense, Aghasi Enokian, the President of Armenian Center of Political and International Research, Col. Victor Filippov, DCAF Programme Coordinator. The presentations by NATO and DCAF experts were accompanied by the comments of Armenian party: in particular, by Executive Director of Armenian Atlantic Association Tevan Poghosian, the Head of Armenian National Committee of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines Jemma Hasratian, the President of the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers Greta Mirzoyan and the Deputy Director of “Prometheus” TV company Aram Safarian.
