BREST, 30 November (BelTA) – Firefighting and rescue service units operating on both sides of the Belarusian-Polish border have launched a joint infrastructure project this year. The project's presentation took place in Brest on 30 November during the 20th session of the Belarus-Poland subcommission on transboundary cooperation, BelTA has learned.
The project is being implemented by the Brest Oblast branch and the Grodno Oblast branch of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry in association with partners from Lublin Voivodeship and Podlaskie Voivodeship. The project is financed by the Poland-Belarus-Ukraine transboundary cooperation program for 2014-2020. The budget stands at €5.4 million.
The project provides for creating a joint system for monitoring for and responding to emergencies near the Belarusian-Polish border. A fire station will be built in Kamenets. Two training centers will be built and equipped in Brest and Grodno. Special gear will be bought for fire stations in Brest and Kamenets. Exercises and educational events will be arranged.
Chief of the Brest Oblast Department of the Emergencies Ministry Oleg Lashko said: “We've been working to launch the project for about five years. We expect the government to pass the relevant regulation any day now. The European Union budget has already apportioned money for the project. Certain funds may be transferred before the year ends.” According to the source, the project was officially launched on 1 September and is supposed to last for 30 months.
Participants of the session of the Belarus-Poland subcommission on transboundary cooperation discussed interaction of sanitary services, veterinary services, border and customs services, firefighting and law enforcement services, and environmental protection agencies. “Our platform has been created to work out common strategies, to address problems. We advance relations in various spheres. We don't want to rest on laurels. We see rather broad opportunities for cooperation,” said Belarusian First Deputy Emergencies Minister Alexander Khudoleyev, co-chairman of the Belarus-Poland subcommission on transboundary cooperation.
Podlaskie Voivode Bogdan Paczkowski agreed with Alexander Khudoleyev. He said: “We are neighbors. Our actions should help advance the relations, including for the sake of improving the transportation of people and products. We have large space for cooperation.”
The Belarus-Poland subcommission on transboundary cooperation convenes every six months. Participants of the sessions discuss prospects of interaction in various spheres in the bordering territory. The next session is supposed to take place in Lublin in H1 2019.
