HANOI, February 28 (AVN) - The Russian Emergencies Ministry and Vietnam State Committee are planning to sign a memorandum of mutual understanding on Thursday, Deputy Emergencies' Minster Yuri Brazhnikov told reporters here.
Brazhnikov is accompanying Russian President Vladimir Putin in his working visit to a number of South-Eastern Asian countries.
"Russia and Vietnam, which is currently our main partner in the region, are planning to considerably enhance co-operation in the sphere of various accidents and disasters prevention and extinction. Many practical aspects of this activity were discussed at the fourth interim meeting of the ASEAN regional forum on co-operation in elimination of disasters' consequences in Hanoi in May 2000," Brazhnikov said.
Russia is interested in realising a number of joint projects in the Vietnamese territory, the deputy minister went on. Particularly, Russia plans to open the first training centre for the Vietnamese national rescue service. The next step will be providing Vietnamese search and rescue units with Russian equipment, Brazhnikov added.