Defense minister: 12,000 people evaded military service in 1 year in Georgia

With the help of one organization alone this year, 12,000 people evaded military service in Georgia, Minister of Defense Juansher Burchuladze said on the air of Channel One, Report informs referring to Georgian media.

He noted that these people can be “controlled by certain forces and used against the state.”

“The new legislation will no longer offer such opportunities for people to mechanically evade compulsory service. We must also consider the fact that today we do not have the resource to call up everyone who is in the category of pre-conscripts. We do not have such an opportunity, and, in principle, at this stage there is no such need, but we will reduce injustice as much as possible,” Burchuladze said.

He explained that in Georgia there are many legal opportunities to evade the army. “But that will definitely change,” he said.

According to the minister, there will be alternative terms of conscription - six, eight, eleven months. There will also be the possibility for a person doing compulsory service for a long time.