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Volunteers actively registering for military service in Lithuania: Defense Minister

Xinhua, April 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

Volunteers are actively registering for military service, Lithuanian defense minister said in a speech delivered to the parliament on Tuesday.

"Ten days have passed since I announced that it was possible to register and we already have around 100 volunteers," Juozas Olekas said in a speech at the Seimas, Lithuania's parliament.

"I think there might be quite a considerable rate (of volunteers)," Olekas was quoted as saying by news website vz.lt.

Defense authorities expect additional financial incentives will encourage young people aged between 19 to 26 to join the military service voluntarily.

The government has pledged monthly pay would be increased from 38 euros (41.27 U.S. dollars) to 140 euros.

In addition to the pay increase, Olekas proposed a law implementing a special fund which would accumulate additional monthly payments of 70 to 170 euros.

The fund would grow by 25 percent at the end of the nine-month military service if the conscript joins the service voluntarily. As well, credit and bank loan repayments, along with interest payments, would be postponed until the end of the military service.

The law was passed on Tuesday in the Seimas in an urgent procedure.

Lithuania reintroduced military conscription in March in response to the changing security situation in the region, with the aim of increasing the manning of armed forces.

With the first 3,000 to 3,500 conscripts to be drafted this fall, the total number of professional troops, conscripts, volunteers and soldiers from the active reserve will range from 16,840 to 21,960. (1 euro = 1.08 U.S. dollars) Endit