PRAGUE, April 15 (MENA) - The Czech Army expects to recruit up to 70,000 people a year within a “conscription” bill that the government plans to reintroduce, Deputy Defence Minister Daniel Kostoval and Deputy Chief-of-Staff Frantisek Maleninsky announced at a press conference on Wednesday.

Under the proposal, which still has to pass through Parliament, from 2017 all Czechs will have to report to the army when they turn 18 and declare whether they would be willing to serve their country, Radio Prague reported.

The bill makes participation in military exercises voluntary at times of peace, but the parliament is also considering making the participation obligatory for all the recruits. (MENA)

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