The Regional Secretary for Science, Technology and Infrastructures received the Army Chief of Staff, on behalf of the President of the Government, at an audience held today. General José Luís Pinto Ramalho is visiting to the Azores to assess the operationalisation of the military services and monitor the works carried out at the Ponta Delgada and Angra do Heroísmo barracks.

At the meeting, Army Chief of Staff confirmed to the Regional Secretary that the Army will continue to assist the Azorean Government, through the Regional Civil Protection Service, in joint drills as well as in situations of catastrophe or calamity.

Speaking to the media, the government official stressed that "the Regional Government has maintained a very close relation of mutual benefit with this military institution, whether in terms of Civil Protection or in the effective assistance in the event of disaster or catastrophe, as it happened in the 1998 earthquake, for which we count on the support of this institution."

José Contente recalled that in the event of disasters, such as the earthquake in Horta, the first bridge, which served to restore the connection between some villages, were made with military engineering equipment.
In a Region with a specific geodynamic context, not only in terms of earthquakes and volcanoes but also in terms of storms, which sometimes cause floods, it is important to maintain a close relation between the various institutions operating at the level of safety and civil protection. "We have a tradition of good relations with the armed forces in the Azores, the military in general, and the army in particular," added the Regional Secretary.

The Army Chief of Staff, General José Luís Pinto Ramalho, assured that the operational component is the major priority of the institution at the level of budget execution in order to ensure the Army's effective response in the event of any catastrophe.