Armenia’s government said on Friday that it will send rescue teams and equipment to neighboring Iran to help authorities there deal with the consequences of deadly flash floods which hit the country last week.
The floods caused by heavy rain have reportedly left at least 37 people dead and tens of thousands of others displaced. Thousands of Iranians are being housed in emergency shelters provided by the government, according to state media.
The semiofficial Tasnim news agency quoted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as saying on Wednesday that the floods affected 25 of Iran's 31 provinces and that the scale of the disaster overwhelmed emergency services in some areas.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said he is “deeply shocked” by the loss of life. “At this difficult moment Armenia is ready to support the friendly people of Iran and provide necessary assistance to overcome the consequences of the disaster,” Pashinian tweeted in English and Farsi.
Armenia’s Minister for Emergency Situations Felix Tsolakian reaffirmed the offer on Thursday at a meeting with the Iranian ambassador in Yerevan, Seyyed Kazem Sajjad.
“We want to send humanitarian assistance to Iran,” Tsolakian told fellow members of the Armenian government the following day. “That will be organized through the Russian-Armenian humanitarian center.”
“We will be sending technical equipment, machinery and rescuers,” he said, according to the Armenpress news agency.
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian, who chaired the cabinet meeting, welcomed the initiative, describing Iran as a “friendly country.”
Senior officials at the Armenian Rescue Service, which is part of Tsolakian’s ministry, discussed details of the relief effort later on Friday.
Armenia has maintained a cordial relationship with Iran ever since its independence. Pashinian and Rouhani pledged to deepen bilateral ties during the Armenian leader’s recent official visit to the Islamic Republic.
Facebook Forum