Tunisia, Italy strengthen ties on disaster management, forest fire response

At least 300 people were evacuated by sea and by land from Melloula, according to the Tunisian national guard, as fires raged again there on July 24. A severe heatwave has been reflected across much of southern Europe and northern Africa. (AFP)

• Both sides renew 2013 MoU on natural disaster cooperation

LONDON: Tunisia’s Interior Minister Kamel Feki met with Fabrizio Curcio, the director-general of the Italian Civil Protection, in Tunis on Wednesday.

The Tunisian Interior Ministry said that the pair discussed various issues during the meeting, agreeing to strengthen cooperation on response plans to natural disasters and ways to combat forest fires.

In a statement, the ministry added that agreements were also reached on cooperation in scientific research into natural disaster forecasting and forest fires, while a 2013 memorandum of understanding signed between the two states on cooperation in civil protection and disaster prevention as a result of climate change was also renewed.