ArmInfo. The Prosperous Armenia Party submitted to the commission on defense and national security a bill on amending the law on the status of military service and military personnel, providing for combat duty only a year after being drafted into the Armed Forces.As stated by the Vice-Speaker of the PAP, Vahe Enfiajyan, who submitted the document, it is necessary that recruits gain experience in the army before they are on duty.
According to him, international experience also shows the feasibility of such an approach. He further presented statistics on army deaths: in 2017 there were 17 murders, 11 accidents, 9 suicides, 2 cases of security breaches. In 2018, there were 18 murders, 19 accidents, 9 suicides, etc.Armenian Deputy Minister of Defense Gabriel Balayan did not agree with Enfiajyan's arguments, he said: "After recruitment, the recruits learn combat duty skills for 5 months. Then they take the exam, and if its result is satisfactory, only then they have the right to maintain combat duty. Otherwise case, they continue training, so I do not see any need for this bill, "Balayan stressed. He also noted that he did not see a logical link between extending the period of training in combat duty skills with murder or death in the army, as he tried to imagine Enfiadhian.The commission's "Enlightened Armenia" bill on amending the law on the status of a military man also received a negative conclusion from the commission.
The document, in particular, provides for a secondary full physical examination of conscripts after their demobilization, because, as explained by the party's deputy Gevorg Gorgisyan, soldiers often undermine health over the years of service. "If during the medical examination it turns out that they have undermined their health during the years of service, the state should provide them with free treatment," said the deputy. But his arguments did not convince the commission.