MINSK. Dec 17 (Interfax-AVN) - The Belarusian Defense Ministry plans to toughen the legislative criteria for granting draft deferments, Defense Minister Andrei Ravkov said.
"It so happens in our country that quite a significant number of citizens who are supposed to perform military duty are not involved in our country's military defense," the state news agency BelTA quoted Ravkov as saying.
"We see only one course of action: making relevant amendments to the law concerning the granting of draft deferments. This won't be a sweeping measure, of course; there will be a certain measure of necessity, with respect for the principles of reasonable sufficiency and the social protection of citizens," he said.
"About 80% of young men do not receive a military occupational specialty through a compulsory military or other type of service, which affects the country's protection and defense capability," Ravkov said.
The ministry said earlier that about 13,000 people would be drafted in the fall of 2018 and that a total of about 70,000 would be summoned to draft commissions in this period.
"District and city draft commissions have already made more than 50,000 decisions concerning these people. Over 25,000 deferments have been granted, most of which - more than 85% - are deferments enabling people to continue their educations," it said.