Armenian servicemen certification results leave to be desired -  opposition MP

ArmInfo. The results of the evaluation of Armenian military personnel are a clear example of the troops' low combat readiness and demonstrate the authorities' insufficient attention to the needs of the army. This opinion was  expressed on his Facebook page by Tigran Abrahamyan, a member of  parliament from the opposition faction With Honor, in response to  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's announcement that contract service  members will be able to receive salaries of up to 700,000 drams  ($1,800) based on their evaluation results.

In this regard, Abrahamyan noted that half of the military personnel  fail the evaluation for various reasons, 40% of whom do not even meet  the minimum requirements and, therefore, cannot expect a salary  increase. 

"Only a small percentage of rank-and-file contract soldiers receive  the highest score. Moreover, the majority of service members in the  Armenian Armed Forces do not participate in the certification at all,  meaning that only a small percentage of contract soldiers will  receive high salaries," the MP explained.  As a result, according to  Abrahamyan, the entire burden falls on personnel on combat duty,  whose salaries remain below 200,000 drams due to their inability to  meet the minimum examination threshold.

As a reminder, in March 2025, Defense Minister Suren Papikyan  announced that 13,500 service members in the country's armed forces  would undergo certification in 2024. According to him, 57% of those  certified successfully passed all exams. As a result, the salaries of  those who passed the certification increased from 205,000 drams to  470,000 drams. However, former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan urged  that the military's performance appraisal process not be linked to  salary, as he argued that the appraisal process should serve as the  basis for a service member's professional development and promotion.  As Ohanyan explained at the time, based on the appraisal results, a  service member should either qualify for promotion, be relieved of  their current position, or be transferred to an equivalent position.  Meanwhile, he expressed his belief that the current salary model  proposed by the government would lead to unequal conditions, which  would not contribute to the morale of service members.