Conference on civil-military relations in the context of an evolving NATO [antikvár]

Brig-Gen. Zoltán Szenes Ladies and Genfiemen, On behalf of the Hungárián Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is my great pleasure to welcome all of you to our international conference on civil-military relations. The Ministry of Defence has a tradition of organizing conferences, symposia and seminars for the elaboration of different ideas, concepts and programs. These meetings bring together experts, both practitioners and theorists, to discuss issues of importance to the Ministry of Defence or the Hungárián Defence Forces General Staff. I am pleased to say the conference participants represent a broad spectrum of expertise related to our topic on "Civil-Military Relations in the context of an evolving NATO". We are honoured by guests from 12 countries, and representatives from the entire Hungárián Defence community including: officers, civilian servants, academicians, scientists, researchers and students. Additionally, we have participants from several government and civil organizations, journalists, experts of different political parties and businessmen. I want to thank you all very much for coming and taking time to participate in the symposium. Since 1995, the Hungárián Ministry of Defence has paid particular attention to the study of civilian control over the armed forces. There are two reasons for Hungary's intense interest in this topic. First, as a new democratic country we would like to establish and develop democratic control over the military, to improve civil-military relations. Secondly, criticism of the Ministry of Defence from Hungárián political venues and from academic circles at home and abroad has encouraged ministerial leaders to focus on the theory and practice of civil-military relations. As a result of the special interest in this subject, we are witness to many positive developments and trends. Examples include: The Institute for Strategic and Defence Studies 1995 publication of a book on Civilian Control of Defence Forces; The Center for Civil-Military Relations established in 1995 conducts courses on civil-military relations for both military personnel and civilians, and alsó arranges meetings between thq military and different civilian organizations: This September, the Zrínyi Miklós National Defence University has started to educate young civilian