Armenian army servicemen allowed to have cell phones

YEREVAN, August 17. /ARKA/. Servicemen in the Armenian Armed Forces are now allowed to have personal cell phones to call friends and families, a spokesman for Armenian Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan said on his Facebook page. He said the permission was granted by a special order of Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan.

 “Servicemen are allowed to carry cell phones, which can not make videos, sound recordings or photographs. They must have no access to the Internet. The cell phone of a conscript is registered when he is being conscripted at the national conscription center. The conscripts are told about the requirements of secrecy during telephone conversations,” he wrote.

Hovhannisyan wrote that servicemen are not allowed to use the cell phone during ordinary, planned and unplanned events, classes, military duty and weapons protection. They can use the phone during the free time provided for by the military unit command. Payments for telephone services are made either by servicemen or their relatives.  Hovhannisyan listed what servicemen must avoid doing while talking on phones.

 “Do not send messages about planned training alarms; do not publish photos that show combat positions, secret weapons or equipment, car plate numbers, etc. Turn off the phone during hostilities. Remember that the enemy is hearing you and may destroy you and your unit by geolocating your phone,” warned Hovhannisyan. -0-