The deputy prime minister stated that the Cabinet had gathered to discuss Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Egypt, Tunisia and Libya as well as internal security matters.
When asked by the press if the government had any plans regarding a proposal made by the Republican People's Party's (CHP) on paid military service which would allow potential draftees to pay a fixed amount of money instead of serving in the military for six or 18 months, Arınç said this matter was being exploited by the CHP.
“I expressed my own view on this matter on TV six months ago and stated that I'm also aware that amendments need to be made regarding compulsory military service. I have said that people of a certain age and who have other responsibilities should benefit from such a right [paid for military service]. However, the Turkish Armed Forces' [TSK] need for soldiers should also be taken into account. It is the same around the world; a government would only cut down its compulsory military service by looking at the views of the armed forces. The political parties now talking about implementing paid for military service were against such regulations in the past,” Arınç said.
Arınç later stated that the CHP's proposal regarding paying in lieu of serving in the military is out of the question as it would bring down an 800,000-men army to 50,000. The deputy prime minister later said he attaches importance to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader's thoughts on paid military service.
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli on Monday stated that the paid military service issue should not be exploited by political parties or the TSK's view and that the needs of the country should be considered carefully when thinking about such changes to compulsory military service.
