Demining specialists of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Special Transport Service will undergo training at the Regional School for Humanitarian Demining at the Lebanese Mine Action Center. France will provide funding for the training, informs press service of the Ministry of Defense.
Such an agreement was reached during the visit of the Ukrainian delegation of the Ministry of Defense to France. During the meetings, representatives of the Ministry of Defense held talks with the ambassador for demining Yves Marek, the international technical expert on civil protection Jean-Yves Siffuant and the prefect of Upper Rhine Emmanuel Aubry.
The participants discussed the key threats related to the chemical contamination of soils by explosives and chemical warfare agents in the long term. The Ukrainian side shared its experience in demining contaminated territories and methods of determining the level of their chemical contamination.
Special attention was paid to the development of cooperation and exchange of experience in the field of humanitarian demining. The parties focused on the implementation of a systematic approach to checking the quality of cleared land, as well as the use of modern technical equipment to detect residues of hazardous substances. The French side confirmed its readiness to continue providing material and technical assistance to Ukraine and to strengthen cooperation in the field of mine countermeasures.
“We thank the government of the French Republic and the French people for their support in the fight against the Russian aggressor. Subsequently, the composition, terms and level of training of Ukrainian demining specialists will be determined.” — said Colonel Ruslan Beregulya, head of the Main Department of Mine Action, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety.
