Tuesday, November 14 2017 14:38

ArmInfo. Soros Foundation provided the organization Public Agenda with $ 20,000 to launch a struggle against the concept of the "Nation-Army" in Armenia. The deputy from the ruling Republican Party Hayk Babukhanyan stated this from the rostrum of the Armenian parliament.

According to him, the current wave of protest against the bill "On  military service and the status of a serviceman," which involves the  complete abolition of the deferment from compulsory military service  for all young people who have reached the age of 18 and who do not  have health problems incompatible with service in the army, is  provoked namely the Soros foundation. The deputy also pointed to the  fact that the activities of funds sponsored by Soros are banned in  many countries, including the US.

It should be noted that several hundred students are already holding  protests against this bill on the fifth day. Today, five of them  (four of whom have already served in the army) went on a hunger  strike to protest the document. The law on military service and the  status of a serviceman, adopted on first reading, radically changes  the procedure for receiving a postponement from military service with  the purpose of studying. In accordance with it, only those citizens  who conclude an agreement with the Ministry of Defense can undertake  a postponement, undertaking to undergo military training during their  studies, and upon completion of studies to serve in the army in the  place specified by the Ministry of Defense for three years.   Otherwise, they will be drafted into the army at the age of 18 years  for a period of two years. 

By the way, according to the draft law, persons who are recruited for  military service, in addition to studying, can also use the right to  defer for family reasons and health. Noteworthy in particular are the  benefits provided in case of having children. In this case, according  to the draft law, from those compulsory military service those young  people who before the conscription can have two or more children,  with the exception of the adopted ones, can be released. Another  noteworthy point is that from the service in the army, those young  people whose wife is pregnant with at least twins and whose  gestational age is six months can be released. Parliament, today  discusses the draft law "On military service and the status of a  serviceman" in the second reading. Artak Zakaryan, Deputy Defense  Minister, represents the bill in the parliament.