VIDEO: Hayk Sargsyan Discusses Details of Bill to Pay to Avoid Military Service

Republican Member of Parliament Hayk Sargsyan from the "Civil Contract" faction disagrees with experts who claim that his proposed law is written for the wealthy and will help avoid criminal liability through financial means. He stated this during a press conference.

The MP believes that citizens who do not wish to serve will still avoid service, leave the country, or renounce their citizenship. According to him, this law will encourage fewer people to escape from military service.

“There is concern that a citizen might leave the country, then return with money to avoid criminal liability. However, in that case, they would need to leave Armenia before turning 18 and live in hiding for about 10 years, after which they could return and avoid criminal responsibility using the law. I find this scenario highly unlikely because living in hiding for ten years is not an easy task,” said the representative.

According to Sargsyan, with the application of the proposed regulations, many citizens are expected to return to their homeland, the Armenian armed forces will be bolstered by returning citizens, and additional financial resources will be deposited into the Armenian state budget.

“There are 5,000 Armenian citizens currently in hiding to avoid service. If these 5,000 individuals come back and pay, the state budget would benefit from 50 billion drams,” he added.

Regarding the stance of the Ministry of Defense, Hayk Sargsyan noted that preliminary discussions indicated the ministry was supportive of the draft law, but no official opinion has yet been received from them.