Armenia sends only poor youth to serve in frontline
By Rashid Shirinov
Almost every month another Armenian soldier serving in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan falls victim of his authorities’ disastrous policy.
Not long ago, an Armenian soldier – Hayk Kalantaryan – who was trying to commit another Armenian provocation on the frontline was neutralized. After the incident, Armenian media learned from Aram Nigoyan, head of Kalantaryan’s native village, that the late soldier was from a family living in difficult social conditions.
“We were told that he was wounded in the head, and then that he died. His father and mother were engaged in agriculture, but now they have no work. Hayk had younger brother and sister," Nigoyan said.
Thus, the death of Kalantaryan and, in particular, the details of his biography, again caused talks in the Armenian society that only children from socially unprotected layers of the country’s population are sent to serve in army in the frontline positions. No son of an Armenian official or oligarch can be found doing his military service there.
It is no secret that there are disgusting serving conditions in most of the Armenian military units, both in Armenia itself and in the occupied Karabakh, as well as poor food and widespread hazing. Therefore, rich Armenian parents by any means try to send their sons to study in foreign universities so that not find themselves in the Armenian army.
That is why there is a widespread belief in Armenia that military service is mandatory only for the poor.
“By means of corrupt schemes, a caste approach to military service is implemented, which frees the members of the ruling group from serving in the army. Accordingly, the serving duties are assigned to poor citizens,” Armenian publicist Manvel Sargsyan has recently noted.
Obviously, unless the military and political authorities of Armenia change, the double approach to the rich and poor’s serving in the army will never be eradicated.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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