ArmInfo. Competition, including in the armed forces during military personnel evaluations, always carries elements of inequality and equality. This was stated by RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan from the podium of the National Assembly on December 4, responding to a speech by former Defense Minister and leader of the opposition "Armenia" parliamentary faction, Seyran Ohanyan.
The former minister, in particular, emphasized the need to increase the base salary rather than increase it through evaluations. According to Ohanyan, evaluations carry elements of inequality.
Meanwhile, the current head of the defense ministry believes that en masse salary increases for all military personnel without exception are unacceptable, as this leads to a loss of motivation. "Even if the necessary funds are available, it would be possible to consider raising salaries for certain categories of military personnel to a certain extent, but I am against a wholesale increase. For comparison, the salary of a serviceman who has passed the certification process has increased from 205,000 drams to 470,000 drams, which is a considerable sum. If such an opportunity is created for everyone, why can't everyone take advantage of it?" Papikyan emphasized.
He noted that the son of a National Assembly member has decided to continue serving in the army under the "Defender of the Fatherland" program, which also speaks to public attitudes toward the ongoing reform program in the Armed Forces.
The minister noted that reducing the length of military service from 24 months to 18 months pursues a single goal: to professionalize the country's armed forces as quickly as possible.
It is worth noting that the National Assembly is currently debating amendments to the law "On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen" in its first reading. According to the amendments, the mandatory military service period in Armenia will be shortened by six months.
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