Turkey to send three firefighting aircraft to Greece

Turkey has become the latest country to offer firefighting aircraft to Greece to assist in the battle against wildfires across the country.

The neighboring country will provide two amphibious firefighting aircraft and a firefighting helicopter.

“On the instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, two firefighting planes and one firefighting helicopter … and crews will be sent to Greece,” the Turkish Communications Directorate tweeted on Friday.

“Amphibious aircraft with effective maneuverability and a firefighting helicopter produced with indigenous and national resources will be used in Greece to respond to wildfires,” the directorate added.

Earlier, Cyprus and Croatia said they would deploy firefighting aircraft to Greece through the EU-wide Civil Protection Mechanism, joining aircraft from Italy and France. Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Malta and Bulgaria have also sent ground crews.

On Friday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in a Twitter thread, thanked the countries that had provided firefighting support. “We are grateful to all the countries that sent help to fight the forest fires in Greece. Your contribution has been invaluable,” he said.

#rescEU and #UCPM have once more proved their immense value in times of need. We are grateful to all the countries that sent help to fight the forest fires in Greece. Your contribution has been invaluable. In trying times, our Union stands together in solidarity. Thank you.

— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) July 21, 2023