At Friday’s Cabinet session, the Armenian government approved a package of draft amendments to the Law on Military Service and Servicemen's Status and the Law on Defense.

Defense Minister Suren Papikyan presented the matter, noting that with this package it is proposed to introduce a system of mandatory military service for female Armenian citizens on a voluntary basis.

"Relations related to applying for this purpose by female citizens who have expressed a desire to undergo mandatory military service on a voluntary basis, their military registration, conscription, assignment to the place of service, and calculation of honorarium after the end of service are defined. In particular, the period of mandatory military service for female citizens who applied for mandatory military service on a voluntary basis is six months," he said.

Papikyan added that female citizens applying for compulsory military service will not be given the opportunity to be released early due to family conditions, but they will be able to decline from undergoing military service before the day of their conscription.

The respective bill will be submitted to the National Assembly before the end of this session, and the law will be implemented during the winter draft.

In case of full military service, Armenian female citizens will receive 1 million drams (approx. US$ 2,600) in honorarium at the end of their service.