Rescue Teams from EU Countries Arrive in Armenia After Mock Earthquake: International Exercise to Be Held

During its meeting today on April 6, the government decided to allocate 105 million drams from the budget to the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the conduct of an exercise.

The justification for the decision states that the Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations has jointly received a grant from the European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations for conducting a joint field exercise with relevant institutions from Cyprus, France, Greece, and North Macedonia.

Search and rescue teams from Montenegro, France, Cyprus, Greece, and North Macedonia will participate in the field exercise.

According to the exercise scenario, a mock earthquake has occurred in Armenia, and due to the scarcity of internal resources, Armenia is seeking assistance from interested international organizations. Rescue teams from various EU countries and international organizations are arriving in Armenia to support and rescue the affected population in the disaster zone.

As part of the EU grant, the Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations was allocated €297,616.6 in 2022, with actual expenditure amounting to 44,429.9 Euros equivalent to 18,134.4 drams. The remaining balance is €253,186.6. Considering the depreciation of the Euro, some financial implementation issues arise (specifically, instead of acquiring 3 bio-toilets, it is planned to purchase 2), so the Euro exchange rate is taken at 414.88 according to the Central Bank's rate as of 02.03.2023.

To secure funding for expenditures in 2023, to carry out purchases and payments, and to conduct the exercise properly, it has become necessary to include this in the 2023 budget.

The financial resources provided to the Ministry of Emergency Situations will be directed towards addressing 7 components of the program, including management, planning, implementing the exercise, disseminating information about the exercise, organizing the reception of representatives and rescue teams from arriving organizations, and organizing seminars and conferences.