March 2019. Irakli Sesiashvili - Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Security
According to Irakli Sesiashvili, he is continuing to work on a draft law. According to the draft amendments to the Law on Military Duty and Military Service, serving as a clergyman will no longer be grounds for deferring mandatory military service. Article 30 of the law will be abolished, which granted this right to conscripted clergymen. The Orthodox Church found itself in an exceptional situation, whose representatives, by virtue of a constitutional agreement between the state and the church, will retain the right to be exempt from mandatory military service. See link.
2019. Irakli Gharibashvili - Candidate for Minister of Defense
The candidate for Minister of Defense, Irakli Gharibashvili, says that the activities of 'Girchi' (a political party), regarding the exemption of young people from the army, pose a threat to the strength of the state and the army.
"I will not shy away from saying, without any political correctness, that the activities of this organization or sect directly threaten the strength of our state and our army. This is a directly subversive activity against our state," the candidate for Minister of Defense noted.
"I believe that I will work with you on this, and this will be one of the tasks and the primary concern of my ministership, to resolve this issue in the shortest possible time. We must organize mandatory military service in the form that is approved in the civilized world," Gharibashvili added.
December 2022. Irakli Gharibashvili - Prime Minister
According to the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Gharibashvili, the 'legislative loophole' will be eliminated, and 'the possibility of unscrupulous, fictitious religious organizations' through which, according to the Prime Minister, 'Girchi' allowed young people to evade military service, will be excluded.
"I think there is probably no patriot in the country who is not concerned about this issue. This was a so-called harmful, Girchi-invented, outrageous, anti-national, anti-state, some kind of program that actually confused young people and offered them alternative service. We know very well that this was a fictitious, some kind of religious service, this was the greatest blasphemy and obscenity, I will call it that directly. We cannot turn a blind eye; it is our duty to resolve this issue, and we will resolve it. This legislative loophole, which was previously committed by Mr. Zurab Japaridze, it is a great honor to mention his name from this government meeting, against the youth of the country, will be eliminated, and the possibility of their unscrupulous, fictitious religious organizations will be excluded," the Prime Minister stated.
According to Gharibashvili, this issue was discussed with the Patriarchate (of the Georgian Orthodox Church).
"We have also discussed this issue with the Patriarchate, and according to the relevant record, this issue will be resolved once and for all. We will no longer allow these вредители (harmful elements) to mislead our young, healthy generation. They were directly telling people to evade their main constitutional duty; what could be greater вредительство (harm) and hostility to your country than this? So, this issue is resolved," says Irakli Gharibashvili.
October 2023, the Georgian Dream party unilaterally adopted a new Defense Code, according to which the clergy of 'Biblical Freedom' are no longer subject to the deferral of mandatory military service.