The Armenian government is drawing criticism after unveiling a controversial proposal to overhaul the country’s military conscription system. The draft plan, discussed at the May 22 cabinet session, includes raising the conscription age limit and introducing expensive pay-to-avoid-service options—measures widely seen as unfair and potentially discriminatory.
Under the proposed changes, the upper age limit for mandatory conscription would rise from 27 to 32, raising concerns about the government’s ability to maintain a reliable defense force without relying on older, less physically fit recruits.
Most controversially, the plan offers wealthy citizens a way to bypass full military service. Armenian men who acquired citizenship before turning 18 or during draft age and have not completed foreign military service would be eligible for reduced 12-month service instead of the standard 24 months. More strikingly, they could avoid service entirely by paying 2.5 million AMD (around $6,400) to the state.
The government is also proposing additional options for shortened, paid military service:
- 1 month of service for 20 million AMD (about $51,300)
- 6 months of service for 15 million AMD (about $38,500)
Critics argue that these measures effectively create a two-tiered system, allowing the wealthy to buy their way out of duty, while leaving others to face the full burden of conscription.
Adding to the controversy, the proposal includes a 15 million AMD (about $38,500) fee for boys under 16 who wish to renounce Armenian citizenship—prompting accusations that the government is monetizing basic civil rights.
With Nikol Pashinyan on leave, the session was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan presented the initiative, calling it a “flexible solution” for national defense—though for many Armenians, it raises troubling questions about fairness, equality, and the future of compulsory military service.
