France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland back Russia's initiative to set up an international unit to react to global emergencies, Russian Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday.
"The emergency in the Gulf of Mexico, natural cataclysms in Europe and wildfires in central Russia have shown that it is necessary to set up an international emergencies response unit," Shoigu said at a meeting with acting Ukrainian Emergencies Minister Mykhaylo Bolotskykh.
Shoigu called for the de-bureaucratization of emergencies services worldwide, saying the stifling red tape could lead to the possible loss of thousands of lives.
He praised Bolotskykh for Ukraine's help in fighting wildfires that raged through central Russia for much of July and August and killed over 50 people.
DONETSK, August 27 (RIA Novosti)
