Azernews.Az

One of the Azerbaijani defense minister's deputies will be a civilian by 2010, according to legislative changes that aim to increase public oversight over the country's armed forces, Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov says.
"Supplements to the national legislation are being drafted to pursue a proper policy in advancing the careers of civilian staff within the defense system. NATO has long been calling for more public oversight in the army, just like in other European states," he said.
The Azerbaijani ambassador to NATO Kamil Khasiyev said the issue was part of the NATO-Azerbaijan Individual Partnership Plan (IPAP) currently being implemented. He said substantial progress had been achieved in this respect.
"Civil oversight envisions increasing the role of both the Milli Majlis (parliament) and the public," the ambassador said.
He emphasized that as part of the process, MPs pay frequent visits to military units to become familiar with the situation there, while the Defense Ministry has a press-service and meetings with journalists are regularly arranged.
But military expert Uzeyir Jafarov argued that public oversight over the military should not be confined to holding news conferences and monitoring by lawmakers.
"This involves oversight by civic institutions, i.e. NGOs and other organizations. IPAP's second stage specifically lays out these issues before the Azerbaijani government. These efforts include civilians' holding top posts in the Defense Ministry. In Turkey, Russia, the United States and Georgia, the defense minister or one of his deputies is a civilian," Jafarov said.
A member of the parliamentary commission on security and defense, MP Zahid Oruj cited a contrary opinion.
"IPAP's new stage indeed includes commitments like drawing the armed forces sector closer to civil society and lifting covertness there. But given that Azerbaijan is in a state of war, the minister cannot be a civilian," he said.