On March 15, the meeting took place between Colonel-General Kamaladdin Heydarov, the Minister of Emergencies of Azerbaijan, and Brigadier General Edward Vaughan, the Deputy Director for Partnership, Security and Policy Opportunities of the US European Command, who was visiting Azerbaijan, the Press Office of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergencies reported.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations information, Minister Kamaladdin Heydarov said there are good opportunities for expanding cooperation in civil defense between the two countries. Thanking the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency for providing equipment and training to the Civil Defense troops of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the minister emphasized the importance of discussions between the two institutions to determine the prospects of future bilateral cooperation in priority areas. "Touching on the issues of nuclear safety, Heydarov spoke about the great nuclear threat posed by the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant in Armenia, which operates with old technology and has serious technical problems, for the entire region," the information stated.

Brigadier General Edward Vaughan emphasized that developing emergency response relations between the two countries' relevant agencies is mutually beneficial. In this context, he shared his views on the prospects of expanding cooperation between the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan. In addition, Vaughan noted that they are interested in expanding cooperation between the relevant agencies on combating oil spills at sea.