ArmeniaNow Armenia has raised the draft age of its army conscripts by a year. A bill setting the new conscription age at 19 was unanimously approved by the country’s parliament on Thursday.

Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan said the measure was necessary because Armenia had adopted a new 12-year education system.

“As a result of applying new educational standards persons not finishing school were reaching the draft age,” Tovmasyan explained.

The minister said Armenia would have to deal with 6,000 such cases in 2012 and therefore it was expedient to regulate those cases with a law.

So far young men without deferment from active military service have been called up for two-year military duty in the conscription-based armed forces upon attaining the age of 18. Conscription and demobilization in Armenia are carried out on a half-yearly basis.