VIENNA, June 24. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia and Austria signed an intergovernmental agreement on coordination of the emergencies agencies’ work in the presence of the two presidents — Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Austria’s Heinz Fischer — on Tuesday.

Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov and Austrian Federal Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner put their signatures under the agreement between the Russian and Austrian governments on mutual assistance in case of natural or man-caused disasters and on coordinating efforts for their prevention.

Puchkov said that the agreement would “enable Russia and Austria to coordinate efforts for prevention and elimination of man-caused dangers and threats and to boost interaction and coordination of executive agencies and forces.”

“We plan to step up work to exchange experts and researchers, to train and educate specialists, including simplified mechanisms for rendering assistance to each other and transferring experts, rescuers and equipment and outfits,” the Russian minister said.