The Director of RS-Deputy Ministry of IA, r/s Major General Kamo Tsutsulyan participated in the international forum of team leaders of teams that passed external certification by INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group) from February 11 to 14 in Tunis town of Tunisia. He also attended the 2025 meetings of the working groups.

The international forum organized for the leaders of INSARAG search and rescue teams was attended by approximately 150 representatives from around 45 countries with international search and rescue teams, as well as experts from the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).

2024 annual summary was presented and the latest approaches for improvement were discussed during the forum. The working groups summarized their completed tasks. The forum also addressed the emergency situations registered in the Republic of Tunisia and the discussion of their implementation plans, as well as a comprehensive report on the requalification of the Tunisian team. Additionally, the strategic issues of INSARAG for the years 2025-2030 were discussed.

Among other issues, the focus was also on the accreditation of national teams, the requalification of international urban search and rescue teams and the updating of new technologies for information management. Additionally, discussions included modern tools of the INSARAG Coordination Management System (ICMS), issues related to the quality assurance working group and the INSARAG work plan.

Kamo Tsutsulyan addressed the issue of the requalification of the Armenian urban search and rescue team during the meetings and discussions. He mentioned that in 2022, the team successfully passed the external certification process of INSARAG and is now actively preparing for its requalification in 2027. Emphasizing the importance of the requalification process, Mr. Tsutsulyan highlighted that it not only enhances the team's readiness and capabilities but also ensures full compliance with international standards.

During the visit, Kamo Tsutsulyan held private discussions with representatives from the INSARAG Secretariat, Martijn Viersma and Lucien Jaggi, as well as with David Sochi, the Head of the rapid response team of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, who is the representative of the last mentoring country for the Armenian urban search and rescue team. Several issues were discussed, including the procedure for selecting a new mentor and the involvement of women in INSARAG teams. It was emphasized that the level of women's participation in INSARAG teams should be around 15 percent, which is an important step towards ensuring greater involvement of women and fully utilizing their potential. They were invited to Armenia to learn about the capabilities of the Rescue Service.

For the purpose of national experience exchange and familiarization, private discussions were also held with the representative of France, officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as well as with Abdessamad Ben Jeddouni, the Director General of the National Office of Civil Protection of Tunisia and r/s Colonel-Major Saleh Al-Kirbi, Director of the Operations Department of the National Bureau of National Defense. The discussions focused on technical re-equipment issues aimed at improving the effectiveness of rescue operations, as well as strengthening international cooperation and exploring new opportunities for experience exchange. 

The Director of RS-Deputy Minister of IA, r/s Major General Kamo Tsutsulyan, also participated in the demonstration exercise organized by the Republic of Tunisia, which was aimed at improving rescue operations and strengthening international cooperation.