ArmInfo.On November 20, a ceremony was held in Yerevan to hand over new combat clothing to the fire service of the Ministry of Emergencies of Armenia. The event was organized jointly with the UNDP Office in Armenia and the RA Ministry of Nature Protection. This project was funded by the Russian side in the framework of the program "Mitigation of the consequences of climate change in Armenia through the development of forest and field fire management potentials".
As the Minister of Nature Protection Erik Grigoryan noted, the program previously provided technical assistance, including in the acquisition of fire engines. He noted that in the last year an unprecedented increase in forest fires was recorded in the country, for the suppression of which technical equipment provided by the program was also used.
"The implementation in Armenia of projects promoting the socio-economic field is one of the elements of our diverse interaction. In this regard, we work closely with international organizations, and UNDP is one of our key partners", Ambassador Sergey Kopyrkin informed.
In cooperation with UNDP, Russia is implementing various projects, and one of them is a project to strengthen the capacity to combat forest fires. <In the framework of the Russia-UNDP Trust Fund, $ 1 million was allocated for these purposes. In 2017, Russia assisted in extinguishing fires in the Khosrov Reserve, and the first batch of fire-fighting equipment was transferred last year, "he emphasized.
"Until the end of the year, within the framework of the project, we plan to provide additional cars, thereby completing the planned set of measures," said UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia Dmitry Maryasin. He drew attention to the fact that in August of this year, with the help of satellite equipment, 79 thousand forest fires were detected in the world, while last year - 16 thousand. "In this regard, it is necessary to be very careful not only to extinguishing, but also in preventing fires", he said.