AKIPRESS.COM - Best practices and know-how technologies for preparing and responding to natural disasters and environmental emergencies were the focus of an OSCE-organized study visit of Turkmen officials to the United States that concluded in Washington D.C. on November 17.

The four-day visit aimed to build the national capacity and enhance the management policy of Turkmenistan in the area of emergency preparedness and disaster relief. Representatives of the country’s State Commission of Turkmenistan for Emergency Situations, the Main Department for Civil Defense and Rescue Operations of the Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Healthcare and Medical Industry, participated in the visit.

Natalya Drozd, Head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat said: “With the adoption of the 2014 OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on Disaster Risk Reduction, participating states acknowledged the linkages between disasters and security, and emphasized that cooperation on disaster risk reduction can contribute to confidence building and good neighborly relations.”

Drozd also noted that the Decision tasked OSCE executive structures and Field Operations to support participating states in strengthening disaster risk reduction and management at the local, national and regional levels. “This study visit will complement the efforts of the government of Turkmenistan in this area,” she said.

The delegation visited the Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications and emergency units in Arlington County, where they were briefed on the operations of the police, fire-rescue and emergency medical services departments, with special emphasis on the use of the state-of-the art technologies and communication means.

Representatives from Turkmenistan also visited the U.S. Forest Service to discuss its experiences in disaster and emergency management, and the Office of the National Capital Region Coordination, to learn about the activities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in planning and the development of crisis management responses. Using an emergency command and control system in the event of an emergency was a special topic of discussions.