Issues of expanding cooperation between the Ministries of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan and Russia were discussed

On November 25, a meeting was held in Moscow between the First Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Lieutenant General Rafael Mirzayev, who was on a visit to Moscow and the Minister of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters, Lieutenant General Alexander Kurenkov.

The prospects for cooperation in the field of warning of natural and man-made emergencies and eliminating their consequences were discussed during the meeting.

It was noted that the Joint Action Plan for 2024-2026, signed between the parties in Baku earlier this year, is being successfully implemented. In this context, Azerbaijani specialists visited the "Leader" Center for Special Risky Rescue Operations of Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, attended the seminar on international search and rescue operations at the base of the "Centrospas" detachment and the Noginsk Rescue Center, as well as in events at the XV International Salon (Exhibition) "Comprehensive Security - 2024". At the same time, it was noted that the training on eliminating simulated accidents and oil spills at sea in the northern part of the Caspian Sea, held in Astrakhan in September, was viewed. Also, during the year, three joint scientific-practical conferences and two advanced training courses were held through the relevant higher education institutions of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia with the support of the International Civil Defence Organization (ICDO).

The importance of expanding cooperation in the coming year was emphasized during the meeting. In this context, it is planned to hold the "Safe Arctic - 2025" interdepartmental practical and research exercises by the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in Arkhangelsk at the end of January next year, and the MES Azerbaijan intends to participate in these exercises as an observer.

The Head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia said that "this will allow us to test modern approaches and technologies in the fight against natural and man-made disasters in the Arctic, and at the same time provide new interesting ideas for preparing for the Caspian-2026 international exercises that we will jointly hold."

The great potential of mutually beneficial cooperation within the CIS was emphasized during the meeting. It was noted that Azerbaijan positively assessed the initiative to raise the level of meetings of the Interstate Council on Emergency Situations of Russia and Belarus to the ministerial level. The Russian minister said that this will give additional impetus to mutual cooperation within the Union.

It was noted that cooperation within the framework of the International Civil Defence Organization is one of the important aspects of interstate relations in the field of emergencies. Thanks to the potential of the ICDO, a number of projects aimed at further improving the Azerbaijani emergency response agencies have successfully been implemented.