ArmInfo. Readiness for army service is not at a high level in Armenia, Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan told the RA Public Television.
He noted in this context that many are trying to evade service. However, the defense department is working in this direction, including by introducing changes to government decisions; perhaps there will even be a need, according to Papikyan, for legislative amendments.
At the same time, he emphasized that the Ministry sets itself the task of ensuring a high level of training for reservists in order to have a strong and reliable reserve. "Relevant work was carried out in this direction last year, and now a smooth transition is being made to the rest of the reforms of 2024," the minister noted.
He recalled that as a result of the reforms carried out in previous years, three-month training sessions for reservists were replaced by 25 days, within which the latter, after a week of training, have the opportunity to undergo combat duty. "This is both experience and at the same time an opportunity to raise the level of readiness," Papikyan emphasized.
In order to properly consolidate this resource, the Ministry of Defense developed a law on territorial and local defense. In particular, a territorial defense command will be formed in the form of a permanent officer corps, which will train and train reservists. "We will do our best to make the program accessible to everyone," he said.