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MP Tigran Abrahamyan, who leads the opposition Pativ Unem parliamentary faction, has weighed in on the government’s plans to launch a voluntary certification process in the military.

The deputy says it remains to be seen whether the certification procedure set by the government will comply with the “actual priorities of the military service” and whether the requirements set forth will be fair.

“It will be challenging to oversee the process, because any risks over ensuring justice or corruption risks may cause more damage and demoralization in the military,” he wrote on Facebook on Friday.

“Moreover, if the certification process is put on the wrong track and the necessary mechanisms are not in place, it will lead to mass layoffs in the army,” the MP underscored.

Abrahamyan stressed the need for a significant increase in the base salaries and combat duty payments for servicemen ahead of the start of the attestation process.

“Otherwise, if even 60-70% of the military personnel successfully pass the certification, serious problems in terms of the tasks set for the armed forces will emerge,” he said.

“I believe there is a broad public consensus that our key priority is security, thus we have to cut additional budgetary allocations for other spheres, if necessary, and channel big funds into the military,” Abrahamyan added.