Armenian army to introduce certification condition for contracted personnel

The Armenian parliament has adopted a project on the introduction of certification in the army in its second and final reading, according to which contracted military personnel will have to undergo certification to receive salary increments.

Caliber.Az reports on this citing various Armenian media outlets, which state that a salary surcharge will be paid to soldiers who will be directly involved in the planning, control and execution of combat tasks. They will have to be certified every three years in order to receive the financial bonus.

According to Defence Minister Suren Papikian, contract servicemen already holding certain positions may participate in the certification voluntarily. For first-time candidates or re-employment from the roster, certification will become mandatory after three months.

The amount of the supplement will be determined by the government, Papikian said, with an average salary of contract servicemen potentially reaching around 316 thousand drams (approx. $800).