A Cabinet meeting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The government approved a bill “On declaring amnesty for persons who evaded mandatory military or alternative service, training camp or mobilization conscription.” The bill suggests granting amnesty to those individuals liable for military service as privates who turned 27 and to such reserve officers who reached the age of 35 by September 26, 2020, and who were suspected, accused or convicted only under part 1 of Article 327 of the Criminal Code for evading mandatory army service, training or mobilization. In particular, the bill envisages release from punishment for persons:
- sentenced to imprisonment,
- sentenced to suspended sentences,
- inflicted upon a sentence not related to imprisonment

The individuals sentenced to suspended sentences shall be exempt of surveillance over the parole. There is also a provision that the amnesty will be applied to persons wanted before the entry into force of this law, who may appear before the competent authorities on a voluntary basis before December 31, 2021. If the case is already being considered in court, they will have to appear in court.

The bill stipulates the conditions under which the amnesty does not apply. In particular, it does not apply to persons who are suspected, prosecuted or convicted under other criminal articles, except for Part 1 of Art. 327 of the Criminal Code.

Referring to the aforementioned legislative initiative, Nikol Pashinyan said the topic is controversial, nevertheless, the government made a political decision: “This article has never been subject to amnesty for obvious reasons. Announcing amnesty in the wake of the 44-day war seems not the most suitable period from this perspective. But we made this decision for the following reasons: our army is entering a phase of deep and meaningful reforms. In fact, this is an opportunity for all of us to fix some point from which we can move on.”

According to Nikol Pashinyan, this is a political decision, which is aimed at launching a new stage, opening a new chapter, including the relationship with the Armenian Diaspora. “We made a political decision, and we are responsible for it. I am convinced that it is the right decision, since we can see no other way out of this cycle,” the Premier said.

The government carried out redistribution in the state budget and allocated money to the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia. The initiative suggests stepping up the funds allocated for research and scientific-technical activities by 2,784,565.4 thousand drams. These funds will be used for case studies, infrastructure modernization programs (labs, upgraded equipment, etc.).

Touching on this decision, Nikol Pashinyan noted that the increase in research funding has long been discussed in the government. “The mere fact of providing increased funding for any individual sector does not necessarily imply achieving tangible results. We need to make sure that the investment could be absorbed by the system, and that the investment would be targeted and could help develop science. The decision came after long discussions. We need to create institutional mechanisms for ensuring continued development of science. This is just the first stage of a process which is to be continued. It should be emphasized that the sphere of education and science is of strategic importance. At the same time, we must consider everything in a single chain from preschool education to science. This chain has to be fostered by close communication between all of its constituents, and funding should go through the right channels.”

In conclusion, the government made a decision to appoint Hayk Ghalumyan Governor of Tavush Marz of Armenia.