News - Ruling force MP: Number of Armenia's conscripts has dropped by 44% in 9 years

We have statistics that show that the number of our conscripts has decreased year by year. During the last 15 years, every year we have had a smaller number of conscripts than the previous year; this raises concerns. Hayk Sargsyan, an MP of the ruling majority Civil Contract Faction in the National Assembly of Armenia, stated this during a press conference Tuesday. "Even in case of not regulating the arena, those citizens who don't want to serve [in the Armenian army], they don't serve, they leave the country, they often renounce their [Armenian] citizenship [so as not to serve in the Armenian army]," added the lawmaker. Also, Sargsyan presented data on Armenia’s conscripts, from 2010 to 2019. "In 2010, we had more than 44 thousand conscripts; and over the next nine years, that number decreased by 44 percent. The number of servicemen turned from 44 thousand to 24 thousand," he said. Regarding the remark that the proposed draft law will promote emigration from Armenia, as male Armenian citizens will leave the country as children in order to come back in adulthood, pay the stipulated amount, and be freed from criminal liability, the MP said. "In that case, the citizen must leave Armenia before reaching the age of 18 and live under being wanted [by Armenia] for nine to ten years, after which he must return and be freed from criminal liability. I consider this unlikely because being wanted for ten years is not such an easy thing." Hayk Sargsyan has tabled a draft law that will enable male Armenian citizens who have reached the age of 27 and have not completed mandatory military service to pay 15 million drams and be freed from criminal liability. The bill stipulates as well paying 2.5 million drams and serving for one year, or paying 5 million drams and serving for 6 months, or paying 10 million drams and serving for just one month in the Armenian army.