Russian emergency situations minister invites Indian home affairs minister to Moscow for emergency response commission's meeting

NEW DELHI, India. April 20 (Interfax) - Russian Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov has invited Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah to hold the next joint emergency response meeting in Moscow, an Interfax correspondent reported.

"I think we should intensify bilateral cooperation and hold the next meeting of the joint Russian-Indian commission in Moscow in the fourth quarter of this year, when I suggest we discuss and approve a joint action plan of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry and the Indian Home Affairs Ministry for 2024-2025," Kurenkov told Shah in New Delhi on Thursday.

Kurenkov later told reporters that the Indian side had accepted the Russian invitation.

He said he hoped for active cooperation with India.

"Our agencies could cooperate fruitfully in a number of relevant areas, such as preventing and responding to floods and mudslides, notifying residents about emergencies, containing man-made fires, personnel training, and information sharing between on-duty services," he said.

Kurenkov expressed a readiness to help the Indian Home Affairs Ministry's crisis management center renovate its premises.

"We have experience in such projects and are ready to offer methodological and advisory assistance, including in terms of using automated information systems for emergency monitoring and drafting management decisions," he said.

In addition, Kurenkov suggested to the Indian home affairs minister that the two sides resume cooperation in training firemen and rescue workers.