Monday, May 6 2019 18:22

ArmInfo. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) assists in upgrading the technical park of the Emergencies Ministry of Armenia for approximately $ 14.5 million, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the official presentation  ceremony of the Emergencies Ministry of Armenia Emergency Service on  May 6.

According to the Prime Minister, the Armenian-Japanese cooperation  was of particular importance in the field of improving energy  security and improving skills in dealing with natural disasters. This  time, as the head of the RA government said, the special equipment  provided by the Japanese side will be aimed at modernizing the fleet  of the Emergency Rescue Service units in the Syunik, Lori and Chirac  regions. he.  In particular, as the Minister of Emergency Situations  of Armenia Felix Tsolakian pointed out, the Japanese government  provided the Emergencies Ministry with 40 fire and rescue vehicles,  10 all-terrain vehicles and mobile repair vehicles. The minister  reminded that September 7 marks the 27th anniversary of the  establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Japan.  "However, Armenian-Japanese friendly relations are not limited to  this," the Emergencies Minister said, recalling the enormous  assistance provided by the Japanese government in the 1988 Spitak  earthquake zone. "In this regard, it is symbolic that  Armenian-Japanese relations are particularly well developed in the  humanitarian sphere "he pointed out.  Japanese Ambassador to Armenia  June Yamada, in turn, stated that natural disasters often occur in  Armenia, which hinders the normal development of rural communities.  Meanwhile, as the ambassador pointed out, special equipment in  Armenia is mostly outdated, which makes problematic, in particular,  the fight against fires and natural disasters. "The Japanese  government is determined to continue the assistance to the Armenian  government in this area," the diplomat stressed.

Earlier, on April 19, at a meeting with journalists, Felix Tsolakyan  said that the Emergencies Ministry today is a fully accomplished  structure. But the agency still faces numerous problems, and, above  all, the need to modernize the existing fleet. "At the beginning of  the year, within the framework of the Japanese government's  assistance, the Emergencies Ministry provided 10 all-terrain vehicles  fully equipped with the latest technology. As part of the Japanese  assistance program, 18 fire engines are expected to arrive, another  22 vehicles are expected in August of this year. machines from the  Russian-Armenian Humanitarian Center. "This will replace the EMERCOM  vehicle fleet that has completely outdated itself," Tsolakyan said.