Speaker of Parliament Sahiba Gafarova instructed the deputies to hold a press conference to cover issues of interest to MPs and the public in connection with the draft Law containing amendments in the military legislation as it was debated at the plenary session of Milli Mejlis on 5 December.

On the Speaker's instructions, a press conference was held subsequently that covered the amendments to the Laws on the Status of Military Personnel, on the Approval of the Regulation on the Military Service, on Retirement Pensions and on the Military Duty and the Military Service.

Those who shed light on the proposed amendments were the Chairmen of the Milli Majlis Committees – Ziyafet Asgarov (Defence, Security and Anti-Corruption), Musa Guliyev (Labour and Social Policy) and Zahid Oruj (Human Rights) – as well as the MPs Arzu Naghiyev and Vugar Bayramov.

It was said that it takes many years to train professional servicemen and that the legislative amendments aim, among other things, to make longer use of the experience of servicemen in whom the State has invested time and resources. It is therefore proposed to extend the minimum period of military service required for eligibility to retire from 20 to 25 calendar years.

The envisaged changes also include a rise in the pension provision for the servicemen of a number of units. Thus, along with the extension of the minimum length of service, it is proposed to increase the retirement allowance from 50 per cent to 65 per cent.

Further, it follows from the Bill that once the amendments in effect, the norms of the Labour Pensions Law due to be in force as of 1 January 2024 will also be made applicable to the servicemen retiring before reaching the 25-year period but having not more than 3 calendar years to its end and to those servicemen also who had served for 20 calendar years and longer by 1 January 2024. The Bill contains other amendments as well; those have to do with the realisation of the military personnel’s right to education.

The information part of the press conference was followed by a Q&A session.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis