On Monday, the interior minister assured that Portugal has “teams on standby” to be able to support Morocco in its efforts to protect victims, but said there had not yet been a formal request from Moroccan authorities.
“We are keeping the teams on standby, but they will only be mobilized at the official request of the Moroccan authorities,” the minister said this morning in Matosinhos (Porto).
José Luis Carneiro said Morocco’s Prime Minister thanked everyone this morning for “the readiness of the international community to support efforts to protect the victims and to protect and rebuild the country,” but he also explained that Morocco is moving forward with the work. needs identification” and “damage assessment” to determine international assistance.
When asked which teams were ready to go to Morocco, which was hit by an earthquake on Friday evening, the minister explained that these were “search and rescue forces and assets” but would only be determined “depending” on “the request activated and the needs identified by the Moroccan authorities.”
This support could be provided at a “bilateral level” or at the “European Civil Protection Mechanism” level, he added.
Regarding whether Portugal could channel a different type of support through non-governmental organizations (NGOs), similar to what France has done, Minister José Luis Carneiro simply stated that Portugal has “full readiness and solidarity” towards the “neighboring” country and ” friend” that Portugal “is united by very deep historical and social ties.”
On the sidelines of the opening of the Academia do Alertinha, a project launched and promoted by the city council of Matosinhos with the support of the school community and civil protection with the aim of promoting security issues, Minister José Luis Carneiro recalled that from the very beginning that the Portuguese state has expressed its readiness to support the Moroccan authorities.
“The authorities, on the one hand, thanked Portugal for the gesture of solidarity and said that they are still in the needs assessment phase to determine whether this support will be needed.”
The earthquake, whose epicenter was recorded in the city of Isis, 63 kilometers southwest of the city of Marrakech, was felt in Portugal and Spain, reaching a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale, according to the National Institute of Geophysics of Marrakech. .
Speaking this morning in Matosinhos as part of the presentation of the Alert Academy, José Luis Carneiro emphasized that this initiative is “an effective contribution to the creation and dissemination of a culture of safety among a segment of the population that constitutes from an early age as an agent for the promotion of responsible citizenship, focused on prevention .
“Awareness is the first step towards ensuring that, through learning, teaching and specialist training activities in civil protection, children and young people acquire the values and practices needed to protect life, heritage and the environment.”
The minister recalled the earthquake that occurred in Morocco in recent days, which has already led to the death, injury and displacement of thousands of people.
“Dangers have no boundaries, and we all must help and care for those in other latitudes, further or closer to us, suffering from the consequences of natural disasters,” he said.
The minister reiterated that Portugal expressed the readiness of the Moroccan authorities to provide solidarity support, which will be “embodied in the form of a joint operational force of a multidisciplinary nature, but the direction of such a mission depends on the decision of Rabat.”
The earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday evening killed more than 2,122 people and injured 2,421 others, causing widespread damage in the Marrakech region, an important tourist destination in Morocco.
The earthquake, whose epicenter was recorded in the city of Isis, 63 kilometers southwest of the city of Marrakech, was felt in Portugal and Spain, reaching a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale, according to the National Institute of Geophysics of Marrakech. .
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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