Georgia, Turkey, Azerbaijan hold joint rescue exercises in Ankara

Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan held joint search and rescue drills aimed at increasing cooperation, coordination and interoperability between rescue teams during scenarios of natural disasters, the Georgian Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

Hosted in Ankara, the DAK-23 drills saw forces of the National Guard of Georgia involved in the week-long tactical level exercise, with the performed simulations involving search and rescue efforts during an earthquake scenario.

The teams had to use rescue equipment to extract injured individuals from the rubble, evacuate them by land and air, and use rescue dogs.

The Ministry added the training would be hosted by Azerbaijan next year, followed by Georgia in the subsequent edition, as part of a rotational programme for the drills.