Mon 08 February 2010 | 13:27 GMT Text size:

Azerbaijan may reduce the upper age limit for conscription from 35 to 27 or 29.

Ekrem Abdullayev, a member of the parliamentary committee on social policy, said that the upper age limit on conscription had been raised several years ago from 26 to 27, then to 35, to end the evasion of army service and instill the need for army service among young people.

He said a recent sharp fall in cases of draft dodging and a desire amongst young men to serve in the army had raised the issue of reducing the upper limit on conscription.

He said that recently only a very small number of men had performed their military service between the ages of 30 and 35.

Abdullayev said the sons of senior officials no longer avoided call-up. There had even been cases of officials calling their sons back from study abroad to do their military service.

Ekrem Abdullayev said that young people want to do their military service and then begin their careers, so there is no point keeping the upper call-up limit too high. It would be expedient to reduce it to 26-27.

1news.az