The Republic of San Marino’s Secretary of State for the Territory and Environment with responsibility for Civil Defence, Antonella Mularoni, and the Sovereign Order of Malta’s Grand Hospitaller, Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel, yesterday signed in the Magistral Palace in Rome a memorandum of understanding for civil defence.

The memorandum, confirming the excellent relations existing between the two sovereign entities since 1935, highlights training and prevention and interventions for the re-establishment of normal living conditions following natural disasters or particular climatic and atmospheric conditions that could threaten the safety of San Marino’s citizens.

These activities will be agreed in detail between the Republic of San Marino’s Department of the Territory and Environment – Civil Defence Service and the Order of Malta’s Italian Relief Corps (CISOM), which deploys over 4,500 volunteers throughout Italy. The directors of the two units, Dr. Fabio Berardi and Dr. Mauro Casinghini, have already met to assess the best way to implement this agreement.

“We’re very pleased about the trust-based cooperation established between the Republic of San Marino and the Sovereign Order of Malta to help victims of natural disasters and the agreement signed today substantiates this sincere desire,” the Order of Malta’s Grand Hospitaller stated during the ceremony.

The Italian Relief Corps is the Order of Malta’s operational arm in Italy for the civil defence sector. Its volunteers are always in the front line in tackling post-disaster emergencies such as the Aquila and Emilia earthquakes.  On the humanitarian front it has been providing first aid for migrants on board the Italian Coastguard and Finance Police vessels in the Strait of Sicily since 2008.

The ceremony was also attended by the Sovereign Order of Malta’s ambassador to San Marino and minister plenipotentiary, Giuliano Bianchi di Castelbianco and Roberto Saccarello.