make preferableI asked Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan for permission to visit the site of the reserve's three-month gathering, but I was refused, alleging that the personnel is in the process of getting used to it, 'Armenia' bloc MP Gegham Manukyan told NEWS.am.
Manukyan described this argument as artificial, because the Defense Ministry's explanation says that some soldiers are on duty. That is, one explanation contradicts the other, because as long as a person is not ready, it is dangerous to involve him in duty.
"Tigran Abrahamyan and I have more than once asked to visit combat positions and get acquainted with the conditions of service at the frontline, but we have been refused every time. The Defense Ministry seeks to ensure that we do not learn about the real state of affairs. Earlier, before the training camp started, considering that my son had also received a summons and was in captivity, I applied for enlistment. I specifically insisted not to take into account the fact that I am a deputy. But I was still denied on the grounds that I am a deputy," he added.
These gatherings have peculiarities, because they preceded the statement of Pashinyan's associate Andarnik Kocharyan about the selective approach to calling people to gatherings based on their political views.
The oppositionist said that an important part of those called to the assemblies were people with opposition views. "In addition, there is information that people were drafted not on the basis of lists of the Ministry of Defense, but on the basis of lists of law enforcement agencies. This is a shame," stated Manukyan.
The deputy recalled that tragic events were recorded during the current training camps, including the deaths of conscripts.
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