ARMENIA HOSTS FIRST NATO DISASTER RESPONSE EXERCISE AS CONTRIBUTION TO PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE PROGRAM

Tert.am
17:07 ~U 16.03.10

Exercise "Armenia 2010," a consequence management field exercise
organized by the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre
(EADRCC), will take place from September 11-17, 2010, in Armenia.

According to the official NATO website, "The field exercise (including
a command post element, training and demonstration day) will be based
on a fictitious scenario of a serious civil emergency situation in
the Kotayq Region near the city of Arzni.

"Up to 1,000 participants from NATO and partner countries, as well as
representatives and observers from other international organization,s
are expected to take part in the event, which is held annually to
practice disaster response mechanisms and enhance co-operation in
emergency situations."

The Initial Planning Conference of the NATO disaster response exercise
took place in Brussels on December 14-15, 2009. The Main and Final
Planning Conferences will be held in Yerevan on March 15-18, 2010
and June 21-24, 2010, respectively.

The Main Conference official ceremony will be held on March 17 in
Tigran Mets Hall in the Armenia Marriott Hotel. A Comprehensive
Memorandum is planned to be signed between RA Ministry of Emergency
Situations and the EADRCC.

The conference will be attended by representatives of 7 international
organizations and 20 countries.

"Armenia 2010" is the tenth field exercise conducted by the EADRCC
since 2000 and the first to be hosted by Armenia as its contribution
to the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme for 2010. It is the
first field exercise open to Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) and Istanbul
Cooperation Iinitiative (ICI) countries for participation.