Malaysia, Russia To Sign MoU On Disaster Management Cooperation This Year
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (right) receives a courtesy call from the Minister of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, Colonel General Alexander V. Kurenkov at his office, today. --fotoBERNAMA (2025) COPYRIGHT RESERVED
PUTRAJAYA, June 19 (Bernama) -- 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 (EMERCOM) Minister, Colonel General Alexander Kurenkov, here today.
Ahmad 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.
Ahmad 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' RUS-03.
Ahmad Zahid said 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.
Ahmad 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.
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