The recruitment service will be transferred to the Defense Ministry on January 1, 2004; and I also want to say that, starting 2025, all recruits will complete military service at the Defense Ministry. Such a statement made today the Prime Minister of Georgia.

“As you know, a few days ago, the Parliament adopted a very important Defense Code. We have been working on this for a long time. I would like to thank the Parliament. This code of national importance regulates many topics. And I want to single out the malignant initiative by so-called Girchi that has misled numerous young people and has led them astray. But by doing this, we have put an end to Girchi’s maleficence. This is one topic I want to set out.

“Many other matters have also been regulated, and a number of guarantees are now included for our service members and recruits alike. The recruitment service will be transferred to the Defense Ministry on January 1, 2004; and I also want to say that, starting 2025, all recruits will complete military service at the Defense Ministry. We are bringing recruits from various agencies, and recruiting will take place only at the Defense Ministry.

We have developed effective courses that span six months. These six-month courses will be minimal. There are also eight- and twelve-month courses, depending on their plans and wishes concerning their future careers. This, recruits will serve a minimum of six months in the army, at the Defense Ministry.

“An equally important initiative, which I would like to explain to our youth, is that we have included an innovation in our code, according to which students will be allowed to engage in this process by spending one month on a military base and completing basic theoretical and practical training, so that, in all, they will spend four months in the army, after which their service will be considered completed and they will receive military certificates. This is a very important initiative.

Most importantly, this code will create a solid recruiting foundation. According to our calculation, in a mere three-four years we will prepare 9,000-10,000 young people, which will be a significant result, and in a decade we will have 100,000 young people trained and registered in the reserve. This will empower the reserve system, and these are initiatives of national importance. Once again, I thank the Parliament and the Ministry engaged in the development of this important document”, - said Irakli Garibashvili.