Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in his speech at the Republic Day military parade in Yerevan, pointed out the reformed social guarantees system for servicemembers initiated as part of the transformation of the Armenian military.

He highlighted the certification program for servicemembers, as well as the “Homeland Defender” service option, which enables conscripts to sign up for contract service and receive multiple benefits.

“Today, it is also a source of pride that the parade includes service members who have demonstrated their high combat readiness through voluntary certification, as well as participants of the Homeland Defender program, who are key contributors to the transition from a conscript to a professional army. The transformation of the Armenian Armed Forces is proceeding at a rapid pace, and the system of social guarantees for servicemen plays an important role in this process. Today in the Armenian military there are privates earning a salary of 700,000 drams, and the process of increasing remuneration through voluntary certification cycles will continue,” the Prime Minister said.

According to him, service members participating in the “Homeland Defender” program will receive an additional 5 million drams as a bonus upon completing their five-year contract service.

Pashinyan also stated that cadets of the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy, who currently receive a stipend of up to 175,000 drams during their studies, will, upon successfully graduating from the military educational institution and being commissioned as officers, receive government-issued housing purchase certificates calculated based on Yerevan prices.

“Thus, the housing problem of our officer corps, which has largely remained unresolved since the early 2000s, will receive a fundamental solution. Very recently, the Cabinet adopted a decision to resolve the housing issues of around 2,850 families registered on the Ministry of Defense housing waiting list since the early 2000s within the next four years. The state program for serving personnel to acquire housing is also ongoing and will be expanded in the near future,” the Prime Minister added.