logo
Malaysia, Russia to sign MoU on disaster management cooperation this year

Malaysia, Russia to sign MoU on disaster management cooperation this year

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Russia are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in disaster management this year.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the MoU will serve as a practical framework for joint training, knowledge exchange and coordinated emergency response.
"As Asean Chair this year, Malaysia remains committed to regional leadership in disaster response," he told a joint press conference with Russian Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters Minister (Emercom) Colonel General Alexander Kurenkov, here today.
Zahid, who is also the Central Disaster Management Committee chairman, said Malaysia welcomed Russia's offer of capacity-building programmes for Malaysian officers, including a specialised training course in Vladivostok this September.
"We are exploring broader collaboration, including technology transfer in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) applications for disaster monitoring," he added.
Zahid said Malaysia's National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) team was among the first to arrive in Myanmar following the recent earthquake, operating alongside international teams including Emercom's RUS-03.
He added that Malaysia and Russia agreed to conduct joint search and rescue (SAR) training between the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) and Russia's RUS-03 team.
He also expressed appreciation to Russia for the offer to train Malaysia's Smart team and the invitation to allow senior officers from the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia to participate in a specialised course at a leading university in St. Petersburg.
Zahid also values the inclusion of Emercom's cultural ensemble as part of the visit, describing it as a meaningful gesture that fosters people-to-people ties and strengthens the foundation of the long-standing bilateral relationship between Malaysia and Russia.
He said the visit marks an important milestone in enhancing Malaysia and Russia's cooperation in disaster management.
He also expressed appreciation for the strong working relationship between Nadma and Emercom, particularly through regional initiatives under the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) and the Asean Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM).
Zahid said he is looking forward to attending the upcoming international conference and the disaster management event hosted by Russia in Azerbaijan.
Earlier, Zahid received a courtesy call from Kurenkov, marking an important milestone in enhancing Malaysia and Russia's cooperation in disaster management.
Meanwhile, Kurenkov said that during the meeting, several key areas were discussed, including the professional training and education of firefighters and rescue personnel.
"Emercom's academies offer a wide range of programmes for international specialists, not only for firefighters and rescuers but also for medics, dog handlers and UAV operators," he added.
He also emphasised Emercom's interest in understanding Malaysia's modern approaches to fire and rescue training, noting the value of exchanging best practices.
In addition, he said both sides are committed to improving mutual early-warning capabilities and risk communication related to natural disasters, particularly in the areas of prevention, prediction and risk management using the systems of space monitoring and distant zoning of Earth.
"In Russia, the functions are performed by the National Crisis Management Centre. Generally, our countries have big potential for further cooperation in the sphere of elimination of natural and manmade disaster consequences," he added. — BERNAMA
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Central African Republic's Touadera announces bid for third term
Central African Republic's Touadera announces bid for third term

The Star

time3 hours ago

  • The Star

Central African Republic's Touadera announces bid for third term

FILE PHOTO: Central African Republic's President Faustin-Archange Touadera arrives before a dinner with several heads of state and government and leaders of international organisations at the Elysee Palace, as part of the 19th Francophonie Summit, in Paris, France, October 4, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo BANGUI (Reuters) -Central African Republic's President Faustin-Archange Touadera said on Saturday he will run for a third term later this year, seeking to extend his rule into a second decade after scrapping term limits in 2023. "Many of you have asked for me, and my answer is yes. I am your candidate for the presidential election of December 2025," the 68-year-old said at a meeting of his party, the United Hearts Movement, in the capital Bangui. "We will continue the work of rebuilding our country." Since taking office in 2016, Touadera has enlisted outside forces to stay in power amid a persistent civil conflict, including mercenaries from Russia's Wagner militia, who intervened in 2018 on the side of the government. Landlocked Central African Republic, roughly the size of France and with a population of around 5.5 million, is deeply impoverished despite being rich in resources including gold, diamonds and timber. It has witnessed waves of instability, including coups and rebellions, since independence from France in 1960. Touadera won a second term in 2020, though militants including the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) have fought to overturn that result. The army, backed by United Nations peacekeepers and Russian and Rwandan troops, has been fighting the group for years. Touadera's current term was supposed to be his last, but in 2023 the country held a constitutional referendum that abolished the two-term limit and extended the presidential mandate from five to seven years. Opposition parties and civil society groups have said the new constitution, which was backed by more than 95% of voters, could allow Touadera to stay in power for life. The exact date of the December vote has not been announced. (Reporting by Pacome Pabandji; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian and Ayen Deng Bior; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Jan Harvey)

M'sia proposes general border committee to resolve Thailand-Cambodia conflict, says Tok Mat
M'sia proposes general border committee to resolve Thailand-Cambodia conflict, says Tok Mat

The Star

time4 hours ago

  • The Star

M'sia proposes general border committee to resolve Thailand-Cambodia conflict, says Tok Mat

JERTIH: Malaysia has proposed that Thailand and Cambodia use the General Border Committee as a mechanism to resolve diplomatic disputes between the two countries, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan. The Foreign Minister said that if the proposal is agreed upon during negotiations, leaders of the two countries should then welcome the proposals put forward by the committee. "This is because both Thailand and Cambodia want the other side to apologise first. I suggest they use the General Border Committee mechanism because each has its strength, and they just don't want to give in," he told reporters after officiating at the Besut Umno meeting on Saturday (July 26). Mohamad said he had been and would continue to be in contact with his counterparts, Maris Sangiampongsa of Thailand and Prak Sokhonn of Cambodia, to ask for the dispute to stop. "I have asked them to stand down so that a ceasefire can be held as soon as possible, because the two countries are friends, neighbours, and have long-standing family ties. We need to find a solution together through dialogue and diplomatic channels. "So, Insya-Allah, I will try to contact them again and also some friends there (in Thailand and Cambodia) who have influence," he said. Meanwhile, Mohamad mentioned that Wisma Putra had already issued a ban on Malaysians in both countries from going to or approaching the troubled areas. He said the Malaysian embassies in Bangkok, Thailand, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia, were always open for Malaysians to report any problems, including those related to the conflict. Media previously reported that Thai and Cambodian troops clashed last Thursday (July 24) in a disputed border area, with both sides pointing fingers at each other over who was considered to be the initiator of the latest confrontation. Tensions between the two Southeast Asian countries have escalated since May 28 following a bloody incident in the Preah Vihear area that killed a Cambodian soldier. The two countries have been in conflict over the 817-kilometre border issue that has not been resolved for several decades, which continues to affect their diplomatic relations. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was reported to have contacted Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai on Thursday to express Malaysia's concerns over the escalating tensions. – Bernama

Pope Leo meets Russian Orthodox leader amid Ukraine tensions
Pope Leo meets Russian Orthodox leader amid Ukraine tensions

The Sun

time4 hours ago

  • The Sun

Pope Leo meets Russian Orthodox leader amid Ukraine tensions

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo met on Saturday with Metropolitan Anthony, a senior cleric in the Russian Orthodox Church, in a possible effort to ease ties between the churches strained by the invasion of Ukraine. The pontiff saw Anthony, chairman of the department of external church relations, and five other high-profile clerics during an audience in the morning, the Vatican said in a statement without further elaborating. Since assuming the papacy in May, Leo has repeatedly appealed for peace in global conflicts and this month told visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the Vatican was willing to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Russian officials, however, have said they do not view the Vatican as a serious venue for talks because it is surrounded by NATO member Italy which has supported Ukraine. In his first call with President Vladimir Putin, at the beginning of June, Pope Leo urged Russia to take steps towards ending the conflict. The head of Russia's Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has been an enthusiastic backer of the invasion of Ukraine. - Reuters

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store