Cyprus thanks Greece for Canadair aircraft support against Limassol wildfire
Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos expressed gratitude to Greece and his Greek counterpart George Gerapetritis for their swift response to Cyprus’ request for assistance in combating a wildfire in the mountains of Limassol.
“I warmly thank my friend, Minister [George] Gerapetritis, for the immediate response and sending two Canadair aircraft, which will assist in putting out the fire in the Limassol district,” Kombos stated on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter.
A previous post by the Greek Foreign Ministry late on Sunday had announced that Greece would be sending “two Canadair firefighting aircraft to Cyprus tomorrow morning (Monday) to assist in combating the large fire in Limassol district,” following relevant communication between Foreign Minister Gerapetritis, his Cyprus counterpart, and Greece’s Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias.
European Commissioner for Crisis Management, in charge of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, Janez Lenarcic, also conveyed thanks to Greece for its assistance in a post in the early hours of Monday.
“Upon request for assistance by Cyprus due to wildfires near Limassol, we have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Greece has already responded and will send two Canadairs in the morning to assist in fighting the large fire in the Limassol district. Thank you, Greece!” he said.
Meanwhile, according to the latest report from Cyprus Justice and Public Order Minister, Anna Koukkidi-Prokopiou, the fire was under control with no active flames, while all Cypriot forces remained on standby. She mentioned that the operational plan regarding the use of aircraft from Cyprus and abroad was continuously adapted to the prevailing conditions, with strong winds expected later on Monday. [AMNA]
