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On February 27, the work of the national platform of democratic oversight of security sector created by the OSCE support of the NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security launched, where deputies, representatives of the state departments, the diplomatic missions and the civil society in the RA took part there.

The Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security Andranik Kocharyan informed that the intensive works over the creation of the platform began in 2019. The creation of the platform was founded on the obligations of implementing reforms as an innovative approach of democratic administration of experimenting high platform in the security sector. “After the Velvet revolution occurred in Armenia we do not avoid our problems in the armed forces and by involving various concerned parties,” the Committee Chair said. He has noted that the main directions of interest of the platform are human rights and army, the protection of the citizen’s human rights, the force/violence oversight use by the police, the accessibility of information, the freedom and secrecy of information, the inner oversight mechanisms, the fight against corruption and the accessibility of justice. According to Andranik Kocharyan, the platform consolidating the civil society, the parliamentarians those rendering public service in the security sector around a table, will promote the efficiency rise of the civil, as well as parliamentary oversight, ensuring implementation of comprehensive and demanded reforms in the security sector. It was noted that during the works the raised items would be discussed in parliament in the form of hearings, interpellations and new legislative regulations. According to the Committee Chair, the consistent debates of the platform and the working meetings would result in long-awaited result, i.e. relevant legislative reforms, strengthening of building integrity in the security system, transparent purchases and reporting force system.

“We are sure that the democracy is the inseparable part of our security,” the Secretary of the National Security Council Armen Grigoryan underlined. According to him, the democracy, its development and the establishment of democratic institutes is considered to be the important components of our security. The speaker has noted that combining the potential of the legislator, civil society and executive body it is possible to provide bigger results, raising the security. He noted that the democratic oversight towards the security institutes would raise the efficiency, accountability and capabilities of those structures.

“Our organization is ready to promote the efforts of the RA authorities implementing reforms,” the Special Representative of the OSCE Rudolf Michalka noted. Welcoming the idea of the platform creation, he considered it innovative and promising. He has noted that the OSCE expressed readiness to support in the ongoing process.

According to Deputy Human Rights Defender Artyom Sedrakyan, the high involvement of the state bodies and the civil society gives additional trust that the platform would promote the strengthening of the mechanisms of democratic oversight in the security sector. He expressed that the initiative would be effective.

The Member of the RA NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security Kristine Poghosyan talked about the goals and priorities of the democratic oversight platform, taking into consideration the agenda of the new reforms of Armenia.

The NA deputies, the representatives of the international structures and the civil society also welcomed the initiative of creating such platform. The Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Human Rights Department Jennifer Croft considered the creation of the platform historical not only for Armenia, but also for OSCE whole region.