Former Military Gatherings Were Primarily Formal, Says Defense Minister

Former military gatherings were primarily formal in nature; today, they are conducted substantially, meaningfully, and purposefully. This was stated by Deputy Defense Minister Arman Sargsyan during a discussion on a bill related to military gatherings at the National Assembly session.

In response to a question posed by Gegham Manukyan, a member of the "Armenia" faction, regarding compensation for unregistered workers involved in military gatherings, the deputy minister clarified, "From this podium, we have presented a package of laws, projects that enhance the rights of citizens, so that we do not infringe upon those participating in military gatherings in any way, starting from financial matters. This NA has adopted a bill establishing provisions that if a citizen participates in military gatherings, in addition to their salary, the employer provides sufficient compensation, so that their total remuneration does not diminish in any way."

As you mention, unregistered workers are harmed. I apologize, but it is desirable for workers to be registered because what does 'unregistered worker' mean? An unregistered worker cannot speak about the army because their registration will form a state budget that will also be used to meet the needs of the army.

In response to another observation from the opposition lawmaker, regarding the withholding of 2000 drams from a citizen after a military gathering, Arman Sargsyan replied, "We have clarified that it did not pertain to the uniform, but rather to the items allocated. In reality, if a serviceman receives a water bottle and other clothing designated for service, and loses them, naturally, they should be held accountable for those items, as it reflects negligent behavior towards state property."

It should be noted that the National Assembly is discussing the legislative package that proposes amendments to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia and additions and changes to the Law on Military Police, which aims to specify the forms of accountability for avoiding military gatherings.