Isn’t relieving some Diaspora Armenians having acquired citizenship of the Republic of Armenia of military service as a pro-Armenian act anti-constitutional? In response to Tert.am’s question, Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan said in reality, her appeal had caused confusion.

“My request caused some confusion. By the Law of the Republic of Armenia “On Conscription”, citizens of the Republic of Armenia shall pass compulsory military service. That is also a constitutional norm, but there are some points in the law, which states the cases in which a scientist, a person with three or four children, a caretaker and citizen may be relieved or deferred. For decades, the Government of the Republic of Armenia has been deferring university students and clergymen (mainly these two categories) so that they study or complete the service,” said Hakobyan.

Let us remind that RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan recently addressed the Government of the Republic of Armenia with the request to relieve some Diaspora Armenians having acquired RA citizenship of compulsory military service, which raised concerns since, according to those raising the question, the minister took an anti-constitutional step for Diaspora Armenians on the one hand, and the state on the other.

The minister mentioned the last proposal of the Ministry of Diaspora was for four cenobites of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia so that they would pass service in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and elsewhere.

The minister said once again that she had appealed since the young people were cenobites. “In addition, if the large structures and organizations are raising a question, and we silence the issue, you will also attack us and ask us why we didn’t pay heed to the Diaspora Armenians’ issues,” said Hakobyan.

When asked if serving in the army is pro-Armenian, the minister said it is pro-Armenian. When asked the opposite, Hranush Hakobyan said: “You know, there are cases when service can be equivalent to military service. The clergyman in Syria is passing service just like the soldier in the army, and those young people need to be in Syria and primarily in Latakia. When the Armenians of Kessab were deported, the church took full responsibility, and the servants of the Church were the ones providing food and clothes to 370 people.”