Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec 16 /Trend K.Zarbalayeva/
Consultations with NATO and other relevant agencies are underway to improve the international search and rescue team of Ministry of Emergency Situations, Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan, Lieutenant-General Faig Taghizade said in an interview to the official website of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party.
Taghizade noted that the international search and rescue team was created to provide prompt and effective assistance.
The rescuers have been provided by the necessary equipment and facilities to be in a state of readiness to actively participate in rescue operations in foreign countries, he said.
According to President Ilham Aliyev's decree, the Emergency Situations Ministry officers have been actively involved in several international rescue operations on the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Two helicopters, belonging to the aviation group of the Ministry with 19 employees, assisted in extinguishing forest fires in Russia in August 2010.
"Under the President Aliyev's instruction, two helicopters belonging to the aviation group of the Ministry with 16 people were actively involved in fire fighting in the Israeli city of Haifa. Our rescue workers were awarded orders and medals of Russia and Israel for the bravery. Our rescuers pulled 12 people alive, and 60 dead bodies from the rubble in the disaster zone in the Turkish province of Van," Taghizade said.