An group of experts from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan are meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, to agree on the creation of joint system for space monitoring and disaster forecasting. The meeting is part of the Plan of Joint Actions of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2013-2015.
According to the Russian Deputy Director of Civil Defense Department, Alexander Rvachev, Russia is reinforcing the space team of the Russian Emergencies Ministry EMERCOM while the space team of Kazakhstan is being formed. When all the satellites will be in service, both countries will have a single monitoring and forecasting system.
The agreement will reinforce the current cooperation on disaster management between Russia and Kazakhstan. Last spring, the President of Kazakhstan signed a law on simplified procedure for crossing the border between Russia and Kazakhstan in the case of emergencies. As stated by Rvachev, the information that the Russian Emergency Ministry has on fires, ice cover, floods depending on the season is already transmitted to Emergency Situations Committee of the Kazakh Ministry of Interior.
