Damascus, Sept. 20 (SANA) Syria and Ukraine signed a high-level humanitarian cooperation agreement on Sunday at the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management in Damascus to enhance demining operations, technical surveying, and sustainable agricultural recovery.
The agreement was signed by Syrian Civil Defense Director Mounir Mustafa and Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment Ihor Bezkaravainyi. It aims to leverage Ukraine’s expertise in handling landmine contamination and unexploded ordnance to protect agricultural sectors and food security.
The pact establishes cooperation between Syria’s National Mine Action Center and Ukraine‘s Humanitarian Center for Mine Action and War Remnants.
Key initiatives include field training, technical capacity-building, advanced detection equipment transfers, and Ukrainian expert visits to high-contamination areas, particularly in northern Syria. Initial pilot projects are scheduled to launch in Idlib and Aleppo governorates.
Mustafa highlighted that the initiative will help map landmine distribution across Syria, set operational priorities, and revitalize local farming economies. Bezkaravainyi confirmed that Ukrainian specialists will participate directly on the ground to deploy technology and locate sub-surface explosive remnants.
This agreement builds on earlier discussions held in February between Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh and Ukrainian officials, as well as a joint demining project launched in May alongside UNMAS, FAO, and Japan.
Kh.A / Mzn
