Russia, Spain to exchange firefighting experience, technology

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Spanish King Juan Carlos I on Tuesday discussed this summer's devastating wildfires and agreed to cooperate in firefighting, the Kremlin said in a statement, RIA Novosti reported.

"While discussing the problems of fighting the fires that swept both countries this year, the Russian president and the Spanish King agreed to establish close cooperation...in exchanging experience and firefighting technology," the statement said.

Forest and peat bog fires raged in European Russia in July-August. The fires killed over 50 people, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and 11 million hectares of crops. Several Spanish regions were also affected by wildfires this summer.