A fire-fighting helicopter has been sent from the Turkish General Directorate of Forestry to be stationed in North Cyprus to assist in the event of forest fires that may break out this summer, BRT reported.
Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources Nazım Çavuşoğlu attended the handover ceremony which took place on Wednesday.
Minister Çavuşoğlu expressed his gratitude, adding that Turkey, as part of a signed agreement, has been providing a helicopter for fighting forest fires since 2010.
He also said that there were currently 125 fire-fighters on standby to be dispatched in the event of a forest fire.
“Our fire roads are ready and we have lookouts stationed in forest areas 24 hours a day. On top of this we have air support provided by Turkey” . Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are also monitoring the forests, the minister said.
