Latvian parliament adopts bill on reintroducing mandatory military service

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Latvia’s parliament on Wednesday adopted a draft bill on reintroduction of mandatory military service.

“On Wednesday, April 5, in the third reading, the Saeima (parliament) adopted the Law on the State Defense Service and related amendments to other laws introducing the State Defense Service. The first call-up service will begin on July 1,” a parliament statement said.

It said that the law stipulates men can be conscripted within a year after they reach the age of 18, adding that those over the age of 18 and are still receiving secondary education will be called into service within a year “after graduating from an educational institution.”

The statement further said that the military service can be completed by spending 11 months in the regular forces of the National Armed Forces or the National Guard.

It said that those eligible can also serve five years in the National Guard altogether, with at least 21 individual training days per year and seven collective training days per year.

It also said those that will apply for service voluntarily will be given priority, while others will be selected randomly or proportionally to the declared place of residence.

The statement said that those declared to be living abroad will not be conscripted until 2027, after which they will also be subject to military service.

It added that those that deliberately avoid service or act unlawfully during service will be criminally liable, while those that fail to arrive upon request by the Defense Ministry without a valid reason will be subject to a fine of €350 ($382).

Mandatory military service in Latvia was previously abolished in 2007, after which the country switched to a professional, volunteer-based military service structure.

In July 2022, Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks announced plans to reintroduce mandatory military service amid the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, which was later supported by the Latvian government in September.