Russian President Putin says the country is always ready to provide humanitarian aid

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said his country is always ready to provide humanitarian aid to other countries. Putin, while speaking on the occasion of 'Emergency Rescuers Day', said that Russia is always ready to assist other countries with humanitarian aid through its always proactive Emergency Situations Ministry. Russia marks 'Rescuers Day' every year on December 27. 

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"A very difficult noble task that you are now undertaking is delivering humanitarian aid to the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh. I will add that over the past 30 years, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has carried out more than 500 humanitarian operations abroad. I consider this one of the most important, significant areas of your work," Putin said in his address. 

Russia is currently overseeing the humanitarian work in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which saw intense fighting earlier this year between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Russia brokered the peace agreement between the two former Soviet Union members after a war that lasted for over a month. Russia has deployed peacekeepers in the region and is currently assisting both nations to return to normalcy. 

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'Without any ulterior motives' 

Putin said that Russia has never shied away from helping other countries during a crisis, adding that Russian rescuers and specialists have always been sent to regions where the situation is especially difficult. Putin said that Russia provides food, medicine, clothing, provide emergency medical and psychological assistance to people in desperate situations. The Russian premier said that "Kremlin do it without any ulterior motives". 

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Putin also highlighted the need to improve the current emergency system in Russia, adding that a lot is already being done on that front. "It is necessary to further build up the capabilities of the unified state system for the prevention and elimination of emergency situations, to fully use the advantages of modern approaches in predicting risks in order to minimize damage from natural disasters, fires, floods, accidents. And most importantly, to save lives, lives and people's health," Putin said. 

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(With inputs from ANI)