VIDEO: In August, conscript soldiers will be discharged and will no longer be in Artsakh, says Colonel Sahakyan

There have been discussions about reducing mandatory military service, but so far, there is no substantial information; discussions are ongoing. Colonel Sahak Sahakyan, the deputy head of the General Staff Management Department of the Armenian Armed Forces, mentioned this in a conversation with journalists on June 28.

"It depends on the possibilities. We might want to shorten the service period from 2 years to 1.5 years, but we must provide the opportunity for all service issues to be met," he said.

In response to a question about whether new recruits are being sent to the front line, Colonel Sahakyan replied, "Recruits are not going to the front line. Starting from this conscription, a new regulation has been established by the Minister of Defense; all new conscripts are assigned to units through a lottery and are designated to serve in training rifle battalions. They will be in these battalions for about 5 months, that is, until the completion of the training phase. The aim has been that soldiers are not included in combat duty before undergoing full preparation. This means they can be involved in combat duty 5-6 months later."