Just think about this: every 40th citizen of our nation–from an infant to an elderly person–is wearing a uniform.” Our society can’t be isolated from the army, neither can the army get self-contained and distance itself from the people. Taking into account that our armed forces are disproportionate compared to the territory, population and the size of the country, they can’t be taken separately from that population. “The nation-army is far more than a national army because a national army serves the nation, while the nation-army is the nation itself. According to this term, Armenian society is narrowly bonded to its armed forces: Since 1992, military service has been obligatory for Armenian male citizens between the ages of 18 and 27.Īrmenia was defined as a nation-army by the previous government led by Serzh Sargsyan. In 2016, he found himself among new soldiers, all 18 years old, who were drafted for two consecutive years. “She still thinks it’s temporary and that one day I could be cured,” he said with a slight smile on his face.įor him, things got worse when he reached the age required to enlist in the Armenian armed forces. He never fully told the truth to his parents, although he made it clear to his mother. Hayk realized that he was gay at the age of 17. I was warned that they beat people like me,” he said.
“I heard many things about the way they treat gays in the military.
He remembers what he felt weeks before leaving home for military service. I even thought about suicide.” Hayk, a 21 year old student, sits on a bench in a park in the center of Yerevan (his name has been changed for this article). And the more I thought about that, the more I realized that I wouldn’t make it during the two-year stint.