Historical overview

Armenia is located in a seismically active zone. In the historical past and nowadays, strong earthquakes have repeatedly turned prosperous cities and villages into ruins, causing numerous human casualties and colossal material and economic losses. Historical earthquakes with an intensity of 8 to 10 units by MSK scale are known in the Republic of Armenia and in adjacent territories:

1․735 - Vayotsdzor, magnitude 7.1,

2․893 - Dvin, magnitude 7.1,

3․1064 - Ani, magnitude 7.1,

4․1131 - Аni, magnitude 6.2,

5․1319 - Аni, magnitude 6.1,

6․1406 - Syunik, magnitude 7.1,

7․1679 - Garni, magnitude 7.1,

8․1827 - Tsakhkadzor, magnitude 6.6,

9․1840 - Аrarat, magnitude 7.5.

The seismicity of the territory of Armenia has a complex pattern which is conditioned by the presence of numerous active faults and blocks of the earth's crust. Due to the location of Armenia in the collision zone of the Arabian and Eurasian lithospheric plates, tectonic stresses constantly accumulate and discharge here. In the 20th and 21st centuries, 8 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.7 and higher occurred in Armenia:

1․1926 -  Gyumri, magnitude 6.2, intensity 8-9,

2․1931 - Zangezur, magnitude 6.6, intensity 8-9,

3․1968 - Zangezur, magnitude 4.9, intensity 6-7,

4․1988 - Spitak, magnitude 6.9, intensity 9-10, 

5․1992 - Gavar, magnitude 5.0, intensity 6-7,

6․2021 -  Shorja, magnitude 4.8, intensity 6-7,

7․2021 - Yerevan, magnitude 4.7, intensity 6-7,

8․2022 - Bavra, magnitude 5.4, intensity 7.

The devastating Spitak earthquake killed more than 25,000 people and caused economic damage of about 12 billion US dollars. The earthquake affected almost 40% of the republic's territory, where about 1 million people lived.

The Spitak earthquake, as a geological phenomenon, was thoroughly studied by many Armenian and foreign specialists. Its severe consequences and their main causes were assessed. A large volume of statistical data was collected on the manifestation of the intensity of the earthquake, the destruction of buildings, human losses, the number of rescuers, the restoration and reconstruction of the disaster area.

The Spitak earthquake revealed the existing mistakes and omissions in the field of security of the territories and the population of Armenia and the high level of vulnerability to earthquakes in our country. This was due to an incorrect assessment of the seismic hazard, non-compliance with building regulations, social, economic, environmental and other factors that dramatically increase the level of seismic risk. The Spitak earthquake demonstrated that the state and the population are not ready to withstand a strong earthquake, and that the problem of protecting the Armenian population has been and remains a priority for national security.

Taking into account the current situation in the country and the problems that have arisen, after the Spitak earthquake, in 1991, the "National Survey for Seismic Protection " was established under the Government of the Republic of Armenia – NSSP. The foundation of an effective seismic safety system of the Republic of Armenia was laid.

In a short time, the NSSP has integrated into many international structures, and international agreements have been concluded in the areas related to seismic protection. The NSSP was recognized as the leading organization in the field of seismic protection in the Anatolian-Caucasian-Iranian region and was awarded the UN Sasakawa Special Disaster Management Award "For significant contribution to disaster risk Reduction and prevention" and was recognized as the first in Europe and the second in the world. On October 4, 1998, the award was presented to the NSSP at the Palais des Nations in Geneva․

In 1999, the Government of the Republic of Armenia adopted resolutions "On a comprehensive program seismic  risk reduction in the territory of the Republic of Armenia" and "On a comprehensive program seismic risk reduction in the territory of Yerevan". In 2002, Armenia was the first CIS country to adopt a law on seismic protection. Since 2010, the development of the field of seismic protection has progressed most significantly. In particular, the most important regulatory acts were adopted. In August 2010, the Decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia "On approval of the concept for the development of the seismic protection system of the Republic of Armenia" was signed, and in December of the same year, the Government adopted a program of seismic risk reduction measures provided for in this concept.

After the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the work aimed at disaster risk management was raised to a strategic level in order to harmonize the work performed with other participants in the field of seismic protection.

In October 2023, the Government approved the Disaster Risk Management Strategy for 2023-2030, which is aimed to the improvement of the functional and methodological bases of the disaster risk management system, digitalization the system and its technological modernization, development of human resources and strengthening of the safety culture. In implementing the latter component, the main focus is on educating the population on the behavioral rules in protecting against disasters and raise public awareness, which is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and is actively being implemented. The ultimate goal of this system is to form a society that is subconsciously ready to withstand disasters, and to create state institutions that respond effectively to possible emergencies.