The Rescue Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia and the French NGO ASPEBE have signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of emergency prevention

ArmInfo. Aram Kazaryan, Director of the Rescue Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, and Bernard Jeannin, President of the French non-governmental organization "ASPEBE," signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of emergency prevention, disaster response, and disaster risk management.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia, the memorandum was signed during a meeting between Kazaryan and the Ambassador of France to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies. At the meeting, the Armenian official highly praised the effective cooperation between Armenia and France in the field of emergency response and disaster risk management. Regarding sector-specific reforms, he expressed confidence that France's experience in civil defense could significantly contribute to developing the capabilities of the Armenian Rescue Service.

Speaking about jointly implemented projects, the Director of the Rescue Service recalled the "Disaster Management" course, the "HOPE-2023" field exercises, as well as the retraining on crisis management and response organized after the 2024 floods. Kazaryan also emphasized the importance of retraining courses for 79 volunteer firefighters and rescuers involving French instructors within the framework of the "VOLFIRE" program.

In his turn, Decottignies recalled that the foundations of cooperation between the two countries in the field of emergencies were laid during the 1988 Spitak earthquake, when about 500 French rescuers arrived in Armenia to participate in search and rescue operations. According to him, this interaction has grown into a sustainable and effective partnership.