Damascus, Feb. 24 (SANA) Syria’s Minister of Emergency Management and Disaster Response, Raed al-Saleh, met a Ukrainian delegation in Damascus to discuss expanding cooperation on clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), the ministry said.
The Ukrainian delegation was led by Ihor Bezkrovainyi, director of Ukraine’s Humanitarian Demining Center and deputy minister of economy and agriculture. Talks focused on strengthening Syria’s National Mine Action Center by drawing on Ukraine’s wartime experience in large-scale demining operations.
Al-Saleh said reconstruction efforts in Syria cannot move forward without surveying and clearing mine-contaminated areas to ensure civilian safety. He noted that the ministry is working on a national needs assessment, updating administrative structures, training specialized teams and introducing advanced technologies and standards for mine action.
Bezkrovainyi expressed Kyiv’s readiness to support Syria’s demining efforts, saying cooperation could help pave the way for economic recovery, particularly in agricultural areas. He added that Ukraine has developed plans to assist in modernizing Syria’s legal and institutional framework for mine action and to facilitate coordination with international partners.
The discussions build on earlier talks held during al-Saleh’s visit to Kyiv last year, when both sides explored transferring Ukrainian expertise in humanitarian demining and land surveying technologies.
