The Ministry of Defense presented a draft of amendments to the law "On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen" for public discussion. It is proposed to be released early from compulsory military service in case the payment of 24 million AMD to the state budget. The project refers to the mandatory service members of the rank and file. According to the legislative initiative, a person leaving for compulsory military service will be discharged after serving an average of four and a half months and completing the training phase (quarantined).

Human rights defender Vardan Harutyunyan told Radar Armenia that the bill would cause citizen inequality. "Those who are solvent will not serve in the army, and those who are not solvent will serve. And the defense of our country rests on the shoulders of the insolvent."

According to Harutyunyan, it is unclear why such a project was presented for public discussion. "Perhaps we should listen to the creators of the draft law, on what grounds they brought it. It is reprehensible and not acceptable."

Vardan Harutyunyan has no predictions about whether the law will be adopted. He thinks that everything depends on the reaction of society.

It should be noted that, according to the justifications, this initiative stems from the legislative basis of the RA Government's five-year plan to reduce the term of compulsory military service in a gradual and regulated manner.

The bill was submitted for public discussion and still needs to be discussed and adopted in the National Assembly.

Hayk Magoyan