YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan) "Humanitarian assistance rendered by Armenia to those who suffered in the earthquake in Iran proves–once again–that Armenia is a friendly country," said Mohammad Mahdiabadi– a spokesperson of the Iranian Embassy in Armenia at a news conference–Friday–following a devastating earthquake measuring 9.10 on the Richter Scale. The provinces of Ardebil–Kurdistan and Gilan sustained significant damage as well as loss of human life. The death toll is estimated at 1,000–while 3,000 have been wounded–as well as 48,000 left homeless. Reportedly–some 1,000 settlemen’s have been destroyed. On February 28–a plane carrying 300 sets of bedding material worth $8,488 left Yerevan for Tehran.
According to Armenian State Emergency Management Administrator Stepan Badalian–there are plans to expand cooperation with Iran in the emergency management–particularly in the fields of radiation security–medicine and catastrophe response.
Badalian also stressed the necessity for cooperation on issues such as civil defense with all countries in the region.
