Simonyan on the Bill to Escape Military Service for 24 Million Drams

Armenian National Assembly President Alen Simonyan, speaking about the recently debated bill, told reporters that the option to be exempted from military service for 24 million drams would allow for two professional soldiers to be enlisted.

“To have a strong army, we need to base it on professional foundations. Many people have been exempted from military service in various ways up to now. I believe that this amount will allow us to have many more professional soldiers,” said the Assembly President.

In response to the question of whether this would reduce the number of conscripts in Armenia, Simonyan noted that exempting one soldier in this manner would create opportunities for two professional soldiers who would be more combat-ready. According to him, many will not be able to take advantage of the opportunity to be released from service for a fee.

It is worth noting that a bill has been introduced that proposes paying 24 million drams to be exempted from military service after undergoing a 4.5-month training period.