Armenian Rescue Service, France’s ASPEBE sign MoU to strengthen emergency response cooperation

Armenia and France have agreed to strengthen cooperation in emergency response and disaster risk management after a meeting between senior Armenian rescue officials and French representatives, which ended with the signing of a memorandum of understanding to boost cooperation. 

The memorandum was signed by Armenian Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Director of the Rescue Service Aram Ghazaryan and Bernard Jannin, President of ASPEBE, a French organization specializing in civil protection and emergency response.

During the meeting with the Ambassador of France to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies, and Bernard Jannin, Ghazaryan praised the effective cooperation between Armenia and France in emergency response and disaster risk management.

Referring to sectoral reforms, he expressed the belief that France’s civil protection experience could significantly contribute to the development of the Rescue Service’s capabilities.

Speaking about joint programs, the head of the Rescue Service highlighted the “Disaster Management” course, the “HOPE-2023” field exercise, as well as training sessions on crisis management and response conducted after the 2024 floods.

Also emphasized were the training sessions for 79 volunteer firefighters carried out within the framework of the “VOLFIRE” program with the participation of French instructors.

Referring to the history of Armenian–French cooperation, Ambassador Olivier Decottignies noted that the foundations of collaboration in the field of emergency response were laid during the 1988 Spitak earthquake, when around 500 French rescuers arrived in Armenia to take part in search and rescue operations.

According to him, this cooperation has since evolved into a stable and effective partnership.

The MoU envisages cooperation in the fields of emergency prevention, disaster response, and disaster risk management.