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The proposed legislative package envisages giving the citizens who have turned 27 and who have not completed mandatory military service the opportunity to enter the military service by simultaneously paying the appropriate amount of money to the RA state budget, or without entering the military service, paying the appropriate amount to the state budget, being released from criminal liability in all of the mentioned cases.

The package of draft laws on Making Addenda and Amendment to the Law on Military Service and the Status of Servicemen and on Making Addendum to the RA Criminal Code authored by the MP Hayk Sargsyan was debated in the first reading at the NA extraordinary sitting on December 12.

“According to the current regulations, citizens who have turned 27 and have avoided mandatory military service are subject to imprisonment. They cannot be exempted from criminal prosecution in any way, they cannot even serve if they want to, because they are considered to have passed the age limit for military service,” Hayk Sargsyan said, presenting the package of draft laws in detail.

Presenting the previous legislative regulations, Hayk Sargsyan noted that today more than 10.000 citizens are under investigation for not serving in the army, and about 5.000 of them are over 27 years old. The purpose of the legislative initiative is to provide these persons with an opportunity to be useful to their state by service and/or paying money, instead of being imprisoned and becoming a burden to the state.

According to the key rapporteur, with the application of the regulations proposed by the draft, many citizens will return to their homeland, the Armed Forces of Armenia will be replenished with repatriated citizens, and additional financial resources will be entered into the state budget. According to Hayk Sargsyan, many young people, most of them with families, will return to the homeland for permanent residence, bringing with them the financial resources accumulated in foreign countries, at the expense of which investments will be made, they will be involved in work, and new jobs will be created.

Hayk Sargsyan answered the deputies’ questions, presenting clarifications on the proposed amendments. He underlined that the law applies to persons who will be 25 years old at the time of the adoption of the law. “In other words, the fear that today 18-year-olds will leave the country in order to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the law at the age of 27, does not correspond to reality,” the author of the legislative initiative said.

The co-rapporteur, the member of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security Vahagn Aleksanyan mentioned that extensive debates regarding the draft were held in the Committee. Referring to the concerns, the deputy pointed out that male RA citizens left Armenia at different times and waited until they were 27 years old, after which they could no longer serve in the Armed Forces. According to him, the bill will give a certain institutional solution to a number of issues. According to the assessment of the co-rapporteur, objectively, the draft offers much better solutions than it was before.

The RA Deputy Minister of Defense Arman Sargsyan noted that the Government had presented certain proposals for the purpose of revising the draft.

In his speech on behalf of the RA NA Armenia Faction, the Head of the Faction Seyran Ohanyan noted that the draft is somewhat out of date, and they will debate it and come to a conclusion during the period from the first to the second reading.

In his speech on behalf of the RA NA Civil Contract Faction, the Head of the Faction Hayk Konjoryan mentioned that the draft is fighting against the elimination of consequences. He proposed that during the period from the first to the second reading, a comprehensive debate should be held with the deputies and the colleagues of the Government, addressing the questions raised.

In his final speech, Hayk Sargsyan answered all the questions, noting that the potential beneficiaries of the law should be given the opportunity to serve.

The package of draft laws was adopted in the first reading.