RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan announced in the fall of 2025 at the session of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly, in the context of reducing the mandatory military service period, that from 2026 it is planned to draft 20,000 reservists annually, instead of 16,000 in 2025. At the same time, last year it was decided to tighten the punishment for avoiding 25-day training sessions.
The other day, the RA Ministry of Defense reminded Suren Papikyan’s claim that “for many years, reservist gatherings in our country have been looked down upon, and for years hundreds and thousands of reservists did not know what the training camp was, they did not know about their assignment, unit, the potential problem to be put in front of them, the assignment.”
Moreover, according to the Minister of Defense, “the relevant bodies did not know about the location, further education, new nature of work, health, possible disability and even death of these people, and today a territorial defense system has been created, through which the 25-day training camps are carried out, thousands of reservist citizens are enlisted in the service every year.”
In the background of all this 168.amon March 18, sent a written request to RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan to find out whether Ashot Pashinyan, who completed his military service, ever received a notice of participation in the training camp, if not, why, justify within the limits of the law. We have also asked the Minister or the Ministry of Defense to present the legislative bases: who will be called to the training sessions and at what intervals?
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About 3 weeks later, on April 6, the defense department sent a reply, which states:
“In response to the letter dated 18.03.2026 addressed to the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia. In response to your request, we inform you that the training sessions of reservists are carried out in accordance with the procedure and time limits established by the RA government. The selection of reservists is carried out according to the schedule and specialty of military accounting.
At the same time, we inform you that in 2023-2026 During this period, only 4.7 percent of those registered in the reserve force with Ashot Pashinyan’s military accounting specialty participated in the training sessions, and Ashot Pashinyan has not yet participated.”
Let’s record that the Ministry of Defense did not mention Ashot Pashinyan’s profession or specialization of military accounting in the reserve forces, and also bypassed our questions to present legal justifications related to participation in training camps.
Article 59 of the RA Law “On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen”, in particular, defines that the reservists registered in the first and second ranks of the first group of the reservists are called to the training sessions carried out within the framework of reservist training, namely:
“Registered in the first rank of the first group of the reserve army`
1) reservists of ordinary and junior non-commissioned officers may be called to training camps up to four times, in each case for a period of up to three months, but not more than three months in a year;
2) senior non-commissioned officer and officer (except senior officer) reservists may be called to training camps up to twice, in each case for a period of up to three months, but not more than three months in a year.
The reservists of the formations mentioned in this point, who have a pilot specialty, can additionally be called to training camps up to three times, in each case for a period of up to two months, but not more than two months in a year, in order to perform flight exercises.
3. Registered in the second rank of the first group of the reserve army
1) reservists of rank and file and junior non-commissioned officers may be called to training camps up to six times, in each case for a period of up to three months, but not more than three months in a year;
2) senior non-commissioned officer and officer (except senior officer) reservists may be called to training camps up to three times, in each case for a period of up to two months, but not more than two months in a year. Reservists of the formations mentioned in this point, who have a pilot specialty, may be called to training camps up to four times for the purpose of flight exercises, in each case for a period of up to one month, but not more than one month in a year.
Article 60 of the same law states:
“1. A reservist of rank and file or non-commissioned officers or officers of the first or second groups of the reserve force may be called up for military exercises (command or staff, military training) or exercises (military games) no more than twice a year.
2. Reservists are called to military training (command or headquarters, military training) for a period of up to 10 calendar days, and military exercises (military games) for the entire period of their duration.
3. The reservist is called to military training or exercise by the military commissariat of his place of registration under this law. of part 4 of Article 20 pursuant to the notification issued pursuant to
At the same time, according to the Law of the Republic of Armenia “On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen”, reservists who have been discharged from mandatory military service and registered in the reserve force can be called to training camp no earlier than one year after their discharge from military service. In addition, a citizen who is serving a sentence of imprisonment or short-term imprisonment, or who is being prosecuted, cannot be invited to the announced training meeting, except for the criminal prosecution initiated against the citizen due to avoiding the training meetings, if the citizen has expressed his desire to participate in writing. at the announced training session.
And Article 29 of the RA Law “On Defense” as well defines:
“1. The conscription of the citizens registered in the reserve force during the conscription is carried out by the military commissariats within the terms stipulated by the conscription plans of the armed forces and other troops.
- A citizen who:
1) fixed in accordance with the procedure established by the Government of the Republic of Armenia.
2) was declared unfit for military service due to his health condition;
3) has four or more children.
4) He is a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.”
Let’s go back to Ashot Pashinyan and note that he completed his mandatory military service or was discharged in July 2020.
After the 44-day war began in July 2020 demobilized Ashot Pashinyan following his father in 2020 on October 5, decided to volunteer.
168.am from the RA Ministry of Defense in 2023 reported that “Ashot Pashinyan voluntarily presented himself to the Military Police and Defense Forces Yerevan Territorial Unit No. 4 (Military Commissariat) on October 7, 2020.”
“Ashot Pashinyan voluntarily presented himself to the territorial division of the National Defense Service and the Armed Forces of Yerevan No. 4 (Military Commissariat) and, in accordance with Article 5, Part 6 of the RA Law “On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen”, he was drafted into the military service, being assigned to the 1st company of the 1st military army of the N unit (commander: Colonel A. Smbatyan) formed during the martial law. In the 1st platoon as a platoon commander.
The mentioned military unit took part in combat operations with its entire composition in the directions of Jrakan and Kubatlu, and in 2020. after November 9, he was on combat duty in the area of Nerkin Khndzoresk,” added the Ministry of Defense in response to our written request.
The question here is that, when on October 5, 2020, Nikol Pashinyan applied those who have been demobilized in the last year and asked to appear at the Central Assembly Station, although, according to him, “according to our legislation, those who have completed their service in the last year, that is, those who have been demobilized in the last year, are not subject to conscription.”
In other words, during the 44-day period, Ashot Pashinyan was pushed to volunteer by circumventing or violating the law, namely Artsakh, which Nikol Pashinyan considers never belonged to us. And now, when he speaks every day about the sovereign territories of RA, 29,743 square kilometers, his son has never kept it with the option of participating in the training camp. Suren Papikyan says that 4.7 percent of Ashot Pashinyan’s military specialization participated in the training sessions, but which specialization is not mentioned, and why he is not among those 4.7 percent. As for whether it will happen, we think the answer is predictable, if there is political expediency, like during the 44-day period.
In this context, it should be emphasized that during the 44-day war of 2020, the RA mobilization plan failed, when first a general mobilization was announced, and then it became partial.
Moreover, the conscription did not take place according to professions, that is, many people who had a certain or specific profession, training, were not included in the mobilization. Or persons who had certain training and could occupy certain positions, so to speak, all persons were offered to go as volunteer soldiers. Whereas a man trained to perform certain functions, using him as a soldier, which was done, was absurd.
According to experts, if on the first day of the war, according to the mobilization plans, appropriate forces were created, combat units were formed, which could enter the battle and perform the tasks that the volunteer groups were not able to perform, we would have a different picture.
And the current authorities of RA are trying to justify such gaps by the fact that the previous ones had poorly trained the reserve forces. No one is saying that there have not been problems before, but one must also accept one’s own responsibility for the failure of mobilization.
As for the training sessions scheduled for 2026, the RA government in January has decided the schedule of training sessions of the reservists of the first and second ranks of the first group of reservists, enlisted ranks, non-commissioned officers and officers:
1) from February 3 to April 10, 2026 inclusive.
2) from March 31 to June 19, 2026 inclusive.
3) from April 15 to July 15, 2026 inclusive.
4) from June 9 to August 14, 2026 inclusive.
5) from August 4 to October 9, 2026 inclusive.
6) from September 15 to December 15, 2026 inclusive.
7) From September 29 to November 20, 2026 inclusive.
In the mentioned decision of the government, it is stated that training camps are announced for the purpose of improving the military abilities of reservists, professional training and preparation, training of reserve army officers from non-commissioned officers with higher education, involvement in combat duty, and that during the announced training camps, each citizen is involved for a period of no more than 25 calendar days.
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