NA MP: South Caucasus can and should become a region of connecting  bridges, not dividing lines

ArmInfo.The Rose-Roth Seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is an important platform, established more than three decades ago to strengthen trust  between democratic states, enhance security cooperation, and hold  comprehensive discussions on regional issues, as stated by Andranik  Kocharyan, Chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Defense and  Security, during the opening of the seminar in Yerevan on September  22.

He stated that Armenia's cooperation with NATO includes several  strategic areas: reforming defense and security systems, increasing  governance transparency, strengthening civilian oversight,  military-educational exchanges, and participation in international  peacekeeping missions. "Our cooperation is based on universal values:  democracy, security, protection of human rights and the rule of law.  Armenia highly values this cooperation, viewing it not only as  defense, but also as a platform for systemic reforms that contribute  to strengthening the independence and institutional resilience of our  country. These relations are particularly important in today's  multipolar, unpredictable and often unstable world, becoming an  important pillar of security and sustainable development. In addition  to commitment to shared values, we are confident in the importance of  coordinated work to strengthen internal resilience.

 In this regard, we attach particular importance to actively  combating hybrid threats, disinformation and various manipulations in  the information environment. Armenia is confronted with the targeted  use of disinformation propaganda aimed at weakening trust in  democratic institutions, manipulating public sentiment and  undermining state policy. In the fight against these threats, we  attach importance not only to raising public awareness, digital  literacy, promoting media and civil society development, but also  emphasize the exchange of international experience in  civil defense  and information security. One of the important conditions for  democratic stability is "Civilian oversight in defense and security  is essential. It serves as  a vital tool in increasing public trust  in state security policy, while also promoting compliance with the  rule of law and democratic principles in the activities of law  enforcement agencies. "Our agenda should focus in issues related to  institutional mechanisms for ensuring civilian oversight, the balance  of security and public oversight rights, the role of  parliamentarians, non-governmental organizations, and the independent  expert community, as well as drawing from the experiences of NATO  member states and partners in this area," said the head of the  parliamentary commission.

He noted that the South Caucasus can and should become a region of  connecting bridges, not dividing lines, based on mutually beneficial  cooperation. This principle underlies the strategic vision of the  "Crossroads of Peace" project. To this end, it is necessary to  develop mechanisms of mutual trust, maintain open channels of  dialogue, and support initiatives aimed at stability.