ULAN BATOR, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh said on Wednesday that his country will spend at least 1 percent of its annual state budget on strengthening disaster preparedness.

Khurelsukh made the remarks at the opening ceremony of a comprehensive training on disaster preparedness and response in its capital city Ulan Bator.

"Mongolia is organizing the largest training of its kind in Ulan Bator for the first time in almost 30 years. A disaster is a calamitous event that occurs over a relatively short time and seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses," said Khurelsukh.

Therefore, Mongolia will spend a minimum of 1 percent of its state budget on disaster preparedness every year, he said.

This training aims to improve the preparedness of all public and private entities in Ulan Bator in order to mitigate damages from future disasters and to improve public awareness of disaster preparedness and response, the prime minister said.

Mongolia has seen a significant increase in earthquakes in recent years, according to the country's government press office. The Asian country has experienced around 260,000 earthquakes over the past 10 years, the office said in a statement.

A total of 261 earthquakes were recorded across the country in the first quarter of 2019, which is an increase of 70 from the same period last year.

The three-day training includes emergency evacuation drills, workshops on how to protect oneself and one's family and how to send accurate information to the public during a destructive earthquake, the country's National Emergency Management Agency said.

All residents and organizations of Ulan Bator must participate in the training, said the agency. Enditem

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