Foreign

The Minister of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Lieutenant General Kamaladdin Heydarov, met with the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, Ali Yerlikaya, who visited our country to participate in the Second Meeting of Ministers responsible for Emergency Situations of the Member States and Observers of the Turkic States, APA reports.

During the meeting held at the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Minister K. Heydarov warmly welcomed the guest and stated that the relationship between the two brotherly countries has elevated to the level of strategic partnership, thanks to the joint efforts and political foresight of the heads of state, President Ilham Aliyev and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also mentioned that this collaboration is expanding year by year in all areas. Both during the 44-day Patriotic War, Azerbaijan received the highest level of moral and political support from brotherly Türkiye, and also during the forest fires in Türkiye in the summers of 2021 and 2022, as well as in February of this year during the efforts to eliminate the consequences of the devastating earthquake in our brotherly country, the solidarity shown by Azerbaijan is a clear example of the fraternal relations.

Recalling the wise words of the great leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, "It is easier to prevent an event than to eliminate its consequences after it has occurred," the minister emphasized the importance of mutual activity and exchange of experience in this direction. In this context, K. Heydarov noted the high appreciation for the participation of the delegation from the brotherly country in the Second Meeting of Ministers responsible for Emergency Situations of the Member States and Observers of the Turkic States, held in Baku within the framework of the Turkic States Organization, as well as for the participation of the forces of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in the international training conducted during the meeting.

The minister emphasized that in line with the activity directions of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan, cooperation relations with relevant state structures of Türkiye are constantly expanding. It was expressed with confidence that the visit of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Türkiye to our country will further enhance the existing close cooperation relations between the institutions. It was emphasized that the joint training organized with AFAD in the direction of further enhancing Azerbaijan's readiness to be adequately represented in international humanitarian operations, including the classification of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) under the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs by the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group, holds significant importance within the framework of mutual cooperation between the relevant institutions of our countries.

Thanking for the sincere meeting, the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, Ali Yerlikaya, recalled Azerbaijan's fraternal support during natural disasters in Türkiye, including the destructive earthquake that occurred in February of this year. The Turkish minister, emphasizing the importance of further expanding relations between the relevant institutions of both countries in the fight against emergencies, highlighted that the Second Meeting of Ministers responsible for Emergency Situations of the Member States and Observers of the Turkic States, held in Baku, served to strengthen relations in both bilateral and multilateral formats. In this context, he expressed confidence that the international training organized within the framework of the meeting would be crucial for coordinated efforts in dealing with large-scale emergencies that may occur in the future.

During the meeting, other mutually interesting issues were extensively discussed.

After the meeting, the Turkish minister visited the Operations Center of the Crisis Management Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations to get acquainted with its activities on the ground.

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