Armenia: 'Natural' disasters cause 10 billion drams worth of damage every year

"It appears that Armenia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world in terms of disaster caused casualties and this is why preventive measures, as well as financial planning to face these challenges are so important," said Naira Melkumian, a senior expert at the World Bank Yerevan Office. Ms Melkumaian was speaking during a forum on emergency management and disaster risk reduction in Armenia, taking place this week in Yerevan.

Organized by World Bank along with the support of the government and financial assistance of the Global Fund for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR), the forum on emergency management and disaster risk reduction will discuss the World Bank report on the reduction of disaster risks and emergency management in Armenia, together with government programmes and priorities as well as seismic challenges.