Armenia Accelerates Reduction of Military Service Term

"Reducing the term of military service is not for winning votes: Papikyan in the National Assembly. The law to change the term of compulsory military service from 2 to 1.5 years, which was supposed to enter into force in July, will start operating from the beginning of next year, 6 months earlier, starting with the conscription that begins on January 7. The Standing Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly approved the bill. According to Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, the reduction of the term became possible thanks to the efforts made in recent years to increase the attractiveness and expansion of contract military service."