Baltic states to sign agreement on emergency cooperation
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are about to sign an agreement on cooperation and assistance in response to emergencies.
Arnoldas Pikzirnis, the Lithuanian prime minister's public security policy adviser, told BNS the document would allow faster response to neighbors' calls for assistance in the field of civil security.
"The practice is that, in case of an actual emergency or challenge, our neighbors can help us first. Up until now, every time Estonia or Latvia needed the help of our fire-and-rescue services amid an accident, we needed a certain resolution: an additional sanction for them to leave. The agreement has been drafted since 2010 to facilitate faster and more efficient response," the adviser said.
According to the draft, the Baltic states would also cooperate in cases of disasters and prevention when such assistance can exceed the national resources or their capacities to manage a situation or respond to it.
The document is planned to be signed within the coming months and take effect at the end of 2017 or early 2018.
Editor: Dario Cavegn