Emergency Minister, NATO Rep for Caucasus and Central Asia meet in Astana

ASTANA. March 17. KAZINFORM /Kurmat Samarkhan/ Today Minister of Emergencies Vladimir Bozhko has had a meeting with the NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons.

Kazakhstan's Minister said at the meeting: "Our regular meetings demonstrate active cooperation between our institutions. We highly estimated the work of NATO subdivisions on prevention and liquidation of accidents, catastrophes and natural disasters. First of all this concerns the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre?. Within the last two years we have had several bilateral meetings primarily on organization of ?Zhetysu 2009? international field exercises of earthquake aftermath liquidation."I believe the emergency planning experience of the NATO will be useful for Kazakhstan" Bozhko said. Robert Simmons noted, that the bilateral relations in civil emergency planning are one of the key elements of cooperation. ?We should consider the fact that Kazakhstan plans to carry out ?Zhetysu? military exercises this year which will be very important event?, he said. ?Also we actively cooperate in a wide range of spheres. We hope to help the country in establishment of Kazakhstan Centre for Central Asia on liquidation of consequences of emergency situations?, the NATO Envoy added.