ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and Turkey have decided to further intensify mutualcollaboration in the field of disaster management.
This was agreed during a meeting between Chairman, National DisasterManagement Authority, Lt. General Omar Mahmood Hayat and Turkey’s Disasterand Emergency Management Authority President, Dr. Mehmet Güllüoglu, inAnkara today.
Ambassador of Pakistan to Turkey Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi also attendedthe meeting.
Both sides agreed to work on a number of initiatives, including sharing ofexperiences and knowledge in disaster management, training of experts,joint exercises, hosting of joint conference, and high-level exchanges tointensify cooperation, bilaterally and in the wider regional context.
Chairman NDMA conveyed deep appreciation for Turkey’s assistance for reliefand rehabilitation operations during the 2005 earthquake and thedevastating 2010 floods in Pakistan.
He underlined that given its extreme vulnerability to large-scale recurringnatural disasters, the Government of Pakistan had strengthened itsindigenous response mechanisms to natural disasters and was progressivelymoving towards a proactive approach of Disaster Risk Management,capitalizing on its own rich experiences as well as adopting best globalpractices.