Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

Armenia has introduced several specific initiatives related to the Nation Army concept that the government launched last year.

One of them, “I Have the Honor,” targets for the university students of Armenia – they are proposed to pass military training and then serve in the army for three years as officers. Another program called “I Am” is designed for those recruits who wish to serve on the border – that means mainly in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. They will serve same three years and will get more than $10,000 at the end of the service.

The authorities launched this program with a clear aim to militarize Armenia, already one of the most heavily militarized countries of the world.

Armenian and foreign experts have already noted that through the new concept the Armenian government intends to give the national army great influence over the shaping of the country’s future. The government wants to make the population the slaves of the army, who would mindlessly obey orders of the authorities.

“The Nation Army concept is part of a trend in Armenia in which the government is raising not a citizen but a soldier,” head of Armenia’s Peace Dialogue nongovernmental organization Edgar Khachatryan has recently told EurasiaNet.

“In the future, this citizen will not assert their rights but will follow orders... This is the shortest way to the establishment of a military dictatorship and I see everything goes to that,” added Khachatryan.

A rights activist and head of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Artur Sakunts, in turn, notes that the Nation Army concept is aimed at forcing poor people to serve in the Armenian army and not to leave the country.

“The children of oligarchs will still avoid service in the army, corruption will not stop, and the generals will continue to enrich at the expense of the army,” he told EurasiaNet.

It is noteworthy that recently, the Armenian government adopted a decision to reduce the funds allocated for education. Thus, the funding will be reduced from 3.2 percent of the country’s GDP in 2016 to 1.85 percent in 2020.

The report of the World Bank indicates that the United States allocates 5.4 percent of its GDP for education, Iran provides 4.7 percent, Russia – 4.1, Azerbaijan and Georgia – 3.2. However, Armenia decides to reduce this funding.

Apparently, this decision of the country’s government is also linked with its will to enslave the country’s population.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz