YEREVAN. - Armenian Minister of Emergency Situations and UN Resident Coordinator Bradley Busetto, who is also the UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia, today signed an Agreement on Facilitated import, export and transit of humanitarian aid cargo and property of the staff providing humanitarian aid between Armenian Government and UN.

Marcel Vaessen, Head of the UN Regional Office for the Caucasus and Central Asia (UNOCHA) also attended the event.

The document is a formal customs agreement, which allows the rescue teams to quickly transport their property to the country in need. In case of an emergency, the Armenia Emergency Situations Ministry must ensure accelerated and facilitated regime of property and equipment import and export for the forces providing humanitarian aid.

Thanking the INOCHA for the active cooperation with the Emergency Situations Ministry, Minister A. Yeritsyan noted that the cooperation with this institution has a long history, during which various productive programs have been implemented. 

For his part, Mr Busetto attached great importance to the signing of the document, stressing that Armenia is ready to send its Rapid Deployment Forces in an incomparably facilitated way in case of any international calamity.

According to Mr Busetto, after the tragic Spitak Quake, Armenia has become one of the leading states - not only in the region but also in the world - by its preparedness in the area of emergency situations.  In this respect, Armenia deserved great praise since it belongs to the ten high-level states, which have such an agreement and use the procedure of providing and receiving humanitarian aid in a facilitated way, he added.