NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. On November 7-8 the Second Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction took place in New Delhi and 50 delegations representing the Asian and Pacific Ocean region, as well as representatives of international and non-governmental organizations took part in its proceedings. In the conference Armenia was represented by Lieutenant-General Edik Barseghian, the Head of the Rescue Service of the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration, Colonel Arman Avagian, the Head of the International Cooperation Administration of the Rescue Service, and Ashot Kocharian, the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to India. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Shivraj Patil, the Minister of Home Affairs of India, made speeches in the opening sitting of the conference. According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the Press and Information Department of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agenda of the conference includes issues concerning early warning, risk reduction mechanisms, degree of preparedness in states of emergency, global change in climate, exchange of information, international cooperation, and implementation of strategic programs of governments. As a result of the proceedings of the conference, the declaration of Delhi on disaster reduction in Asia was adopted. A decision was made on holding the next third conference in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, in the second half of 2008.

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