Brussels, 15/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Sunday 14 June, the European Union said it was “ready” to provide assistance to help Georgia following the floods that have affected the country - including the capital Tbilisi. The flooding, caused by torrential rain, has claimed at least 12 lives. There are also around 20 people who have disappeared and around 30 who are wounded.
“We are in contact with the Georgian authorities and are ready to deploy assistance to help the country in the aftermath of this disaster that has claimed lives, caused severe damage to the infrastructure in the capital and disrupted basic services in the city”, said the spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, for European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides, and for European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn in a press release. The spokesperson said that the Emergency Response Crisis Coordination Centre was closely monitoring developments.
“We are in search of the most appropriate instrument to provide the necessary assistance”, the spokesperson for Crisis Management, Alexandre Polak, told EUROPE on Monday 15 June.
In a press release, the EU spokesperson said that the EU stood in “full solidarity” with Georgia. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)